Power and Duty
by wynn12
Summary: People usually think about Nobility as a rich, easy life. Rukia was learning otherwise, as her duties were presented as the price to be paid. Byakuya/Rukia aka byaruki pairing. Chapter 13 uploaded!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say that I don't own Bleach? Well, I don't. I'm just a fan trying to have and share some fun.

A/N: As I mentioned in my other fics, this one is actually my first byaruki fic, the one I started writing about a year ago but never published. I finally got inspiration to pull together the pieces I wrote into a real fic, and I apologize because (as I have almost 3 more chapters to release soon) this one took the time I should be spending on continuing the others.

(BTW, I put a voting pool on my profile, please let me know which fic you want me to prioritize, given the time I have to write).

Now on the fic, I realize that, contrary to the others I wrote, this one's plot is kind of overused – I believe I read at least 4 with similar plots in the meanwhile. Although this discouraged me to write it a little, I noticed overused plots never stopped me from enjoying them when I really love a certain base plot. Also, as much as I enjoyed reading those stories, I've always felt the need to do it differently, things I wanted to see, details I wanted to read, in short, I decided to try my hand at it anyways. If you find it repetitive on some details, especially in the beginning, when my plot is not clear, I apologize. This is more like the fic I've wanted to read, my clumsy handmade x-mas gift to myself, but I hope you can enjoy it too. :)

Also, Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year to you all!

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Kuchiki Rukia looked at the dark ceiling of her bedroom and sighed for the third time in a single minute. Her bed had never felt so uncomfortable.

'This is pointless', she thought. – 'I should be sleeping by now. It's probably over two in the morning.'

She moved, shifting positions, but ended up staring back at the ceiling once more. She sighed yet again. 'Kaien-dono, I failed again. I wasn't brave enough to apologize to your family.'

Rukia closed her eyes and the image of a golden field under the sunset rushed through her mind. Suddenly, she was at the Shiba's house once more. The girl looked at the big doors, so quiet. She should go, should knock. But it would hurt, to think, to talk, to feel, it would be like living it all again. Turning her back, she ran away. Again.

'I'm a weakling', she concluded, feeling the darkness and emptiness of the room invading her heart. Then, the girl sighed, with a hint of hope. 'Tomorrow is another day, though.'

She felt that the best course of action would be not to think about it anymore. She needed to sleep. Feeling lonely and particularly cold, Rukia decided to go to the closest living room. The servants always kept the fireplace lit and some hot water for tea. That was certainly what she needed to finally get some sleep.

Rukia left her bedroom quietly, walking a few steps in a dark corridor. The house was deadly silent at that hour. It gave her chills. As she entered the room, she was surprised to find a slim figure staring into the fireplace.

"B-Byakuya onii-sama" she muttered, not expecting his presence.

'I should have put something over my nightgown' was her immediate thought. Should she apologize? Was it really a reason for apologizing to a brother? Blushing, she decided it would be better to pretend not to notice this supposed impropriety.

"Rukia," he acknowledged her in his usual cold tone. While Rukia stood reluctantly at the door, he politely added: "Stay, I was about to leave."

He rested his green and richly detailed cup of tea on the nearby table and stood up. Her mind made a quick remark on how tall he was, compared to her, while she entered the room timidly.

"The elders requested a meeting tomorrow, early in the morning" he started, taking her out of her stupor. "I thought you were already asleep, so the servants were ordered to wake you up."

'The elders?' "H-Hai. Did they mention the subject?" she asked, trying to hide the concern in her voice.

"They did not say anything in advance," he replied, moving towards the door. He turned briefly, watching her for a moment. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly at this. His eyes were unreadable. Turning back to the door he simply added "Have a good night," and left.

"Good night… nii-sama."

She picked a clean cup on the silver tray, poured hot water into it and watched as her tea brewed. Whenever she talked to him she would always end up with the feeling that something was missing, unsaid. She wondered if he really didn't know what this meeting was about. Surely he had at least a guess? Why couldn't he volunteer the information?

'He's always so cold. Just like this house,' she thought, contemplating the fire. She always had this impression since the first time the Kuchiki estate was presented to her as her new home, years ago. Serene and cold. Just like him.

Rukia recalled the occasion vividly, her adoption. When she was told that she was adopted due to her resemblance to his dead wife, she felt wary and scared. Rukia had grown up on the Rukongai. She was far from naïve and wouldn't be surprised if he tried something… inappropriate. The first few nights in the house were sleepless and full of anxiety. She would barely close her eyes, expecting her new brother's visit at any moment. Soon, however, she realized that those were not his intentions. Kuchiki Byakuya, lord of the Kuchiki clan, was a noble, a perfect gentleman. And proud of it. In truth, instead of trying anything improper, he seemed to ignore her completely and address her only when absolutely necessary. The distance between them was like an invisible yet impenetrable wall, and, while it eased her previous concerns, it also made her realize that their relationship would never be that of siblings, at least in her own concept of it. Unlike what she shared with Renji, Rukia never felt comfortable enough around Byakuya. On contrary, she would always wonder what would be the appropriate behavior towards him. Always looking for the adequate words, gesture, place... She was never sure if she did something wrong.

However, sharing this house with her brother for the past few years had helped her adjust to the distance he kept between them. She could even find some comfort in it by now. It was something... familiar, safe, expected.

The rest of the family shared the same traits as her brother – formality and coldness – but it felt different to her. It was more intense. She was sure they made biting remarks behind her back, hidden only because of their respect for her brother. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that her adoption caused some disagreements, and that most of the family had opposed to it. That's why Byakuya's words left an uneasy feeling on her stomach. What could the elders possibly want?

She knew she shouldn't feel unsure around the Elders, but she did. She felt that even Byakuya had problems in protecting her from them or even to stop them from meddling too much in his own affairs.

Staring intently into the fire, Rukia recalled, with worry, a scene she witnessed a fortnight ago.

- Flashback -

"That is preposterous. Unnaceptable," Byakuya said firmly.

Rukia didn't mean to be prying, but curiosity got the best of her and she reduced her speed until she finally stopped, waiting outside a door in one of the Kuchiki mansion long corridors. Who could her brother be talking to?

"The council is not asking for more than your obligation, Byakuya-sama. You are a captain, and although strong, you are not immortal. Most of the clan is already well past their prime and will not be here for much longer. The family needs an heir."

That voice… was it Fujiwara-sama? Rukia shuddered, remembering the cold face of Byakuya's great-uncle. The presence of the elders has always intimidated her.

"I have not found another suitable woman and I see no urgency that would enforce the need to look for another marriage at the moment," Byakuya replied, his voice showing a little more harshness than usual.

"There are –plenty- of suitable options in the noble families. To see them, however, you must put that dead girl behind you." The elder's voice was strong and accusing.

"This meeting is over," was Byakuya's only response.

Rukia turned around and walked back, knowing her brother would open the door anytime soon. She was still close enough to listen to the elder last phrase:

"The head of the Kuchiki clan should remember that his wishes are secondary to the honor of the family. If you believe you cannot be like that, Byakuya-sama, remember that others can."

- End of Flashback -

The thought of the elders summoning her was unsettling already. Rukia stood up and headed back to her bedroom. While her body felt warmer, her insides were cold. She definitely wasn't looking forward to the meeting in the morning.

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So that's it for now. I do have something in the oven for you though. ;)

Please review, let me know what you think! It doesn't take so much time but it means a lot to me. I'm really growing fond of writing, especially byaruki, I looooove it! .

Take care,

Wynn


	2. Chapter 2

Hello dears! Happy New Year!

As promised, here is the entire chapter 2, I apologize for the delay. I was studying a little, researching some Japanese traditions to be able to write the next chapters better, I didn't want to include things and do it badly. I hope I don't disappoint you. Now it all seems to fit. Have fun, and let me know what you think!

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Rukia woke up the next day feeling unrested. She headed to the bathroom to make herself presentable. The elders would arrive in half an hour and she should be ready by then. It would not do to make them wait.

A few minutes later, a servant came and announced that Yasumoto-sama and Michiko-sama were there and that she was expected. She nodded and followed the servant out, trying to remember her name. Before she could, however, they arrived to a private room. Rukia smiled at the young girl, feeling awkward, then turned towards the door. As she entered, she noticed that her brother was already there. His presence inspired a small wave of relief on her body.

"Yasumoto-sama, Michiko-sama." Rukia bowed courteously, as a sign of respect. "Nii-sama."

"Rukia-dono." Yasumoto nodded, barely acknowledging her presence. "Now that you are both present, we shall proceed with the meeting."

"We are here representing the council in order to discuss a highly important subject. The elders were reunited lately to speak of the succession situation, and in their behalf we scheduled this meeting to discuss with you the future of the Kuchiki clan." Yasumoto was clearly addressing her brother, but his eyes would turn to her every so often. It was unnerving. The man gave her chills, an inexplicable uneasiness she only recalled feeling in the presence of Ichimaru Gin. Rukia would sometimes wish she could avoid both of them for all eternity.

"It has come to our attention that Byakuya-sama has not shown any signs that he is looking for another marriage over the past three decades" He paused briefly and assumed a pained expression. "That is the council's main concern. Our family cannot afford the risk of not having a successor and we do not have many young members, as you well know. It is with precaution and care that the council would like to emphasize the need for the head of our family to guarantee the succession with an heir," the elder said in a condescending tone. Rukia could clearly sense that it was not a request.

"I have not found any suitable options," Byakuya replied, not hiding his irritation with the topic.

"I was afraid you would mention that again, Byakuya-sama. That brings me to the reason we asked Rukia-dono to participate on this meeting. As you know, the lack of a direct heir from you would imply that the responsibility of ensuring the future of the Kuchiki clan would fall on your sister."

Rukia felt that the surprise on her features was mirrored on her brother's, while the elder wore a grin at her reaction. "The lack of an heir is a risk that the Kuchiki clan should not allow. You are, after all, a Shinigami, Byakuya-sama, and a captain, no less. While your strength is a reason to make us all proud, it is also true that one never knows when the time will come."

Now taking a serious air, the elder turned to Rukia. She nearly took a step back, but held herself in place, keeping her best cold facade. "Therefore, we believe it would be in our best interest to find Rukia-dono a suitable husband. One of noble lineage."

Rukia gasped at hearing this, knowing where this was leading to. She was not oblivious to the fact that most nobles, especially women, usually married by arrangement, as a way to strengthen the family's name. However, the possibility of that being her case never crossed her mind, not even in her wildest dreams - or nightmares. She tried to control her shock, but she was sure her eyes betrayed her. She had to think of a way out if this, and soon!

"Considering Rukia-dono is not fond of participating on social events where a proper husband could be found," Yasumoto sounded as if she had committed a terrible sin, "we took the liberty of discussing her options. In fact, we believe to have found a suitable option, a fortunate solution. A noble willing to propose to her."

At this, Rukia couldn't hold it any longer and looked pleadingly at Byakuya.

"Byakuya-onii-sama! I… don't feel inclined to marry at the moment, especially since I've never found someone- I mean - I'd rather not marry someone I… don't even know." Rukia cursed herself for not being able to express her thoughts clearly or properly. She was sure it had sounded inappropriate in some way.

"And who would that be?" Byakuya questioned his uncle quietly.

"Eisei-dono. As your father's older nephew and third in succession, the council believes this marriage would be very convenient. Especially as a way to… validate Rukia's heritage as righteous successor of the clan. It was a very indulging decision, I believe, as Eisei-dono is a very gifted and honored man."

Eisei? Eisei-dono? She tried to remember, and the image of a man with dark blond hair and arrogant features formed in her mind. She was introduced to him in a family reunion some time ago. He seemed to be a conceited, vain man whose conversation solely revolved around himself, and who showed absolutely no respect or interest on her whatsoever. The idea was absolutely disgusting. She couldn't see any sense in this. A very indulging decision? How could they be deciding her future like this, as if it was something that didn't belong to her? She was at a loss of words at the absurdity of the situation. Yet, she also knew that this was simply what was expected from every noble lady: to marry for convenience. Love was something they were usually not allowed. Even Byakuya, the head of the clan, seemed to have this privilege threatened. But this was something she wasn't willing to do. She had to find a way out of this. She turned to her brother, hoping for some help. His eyes were closed as he spoke.

"I do not believe it is fair to impose on Rukia a burden that it is not hers to carry. I understand my obligations and I am willing to start looking for a second wife." Byakuya said, his face a marble stone, showing absolutely no emotion.

"I am pleased to hear that, and certainly the council will be satisfied to know you made the right decision, Byakuya-sama. Your honorable efforts are befitting of the head of this house. However…" Yasumoto looked at Rukia for a second, before turning back to Byakuya to finish his phrase. "…that shouldn't excuse Rukia-dono from marrying Eisei, as the council wisely decided. It would be particularly beneficial if you both marry and provide heirs so that the future of the clan can rest assured. We could even promote a dinner where Byakuya-sama can start looking for adequate young ladies while Rukia-dono can spend more time to get acquainted with her future fiancée."

"Byakuya onii-sama," She tried desperately, not knowing exactly what to say or what to do.

"There is no reason to hush her into this marriage. I will look for a wife; Rukia should have plenty of time to find a husband on her own." Her brother interfered.

"The council wants you both to marry as soon as possible. Why waste such a perfect arrangement? This decision is clearly the most advantageous for the Kuchiki clan, and won't be revoked," Yasumoto added firmly. The other elder in the room, the old woman, who was quiet during the whole conversation, shifted in her chair.

"The council should show some lenience and give her an option," Byakuya demanded.

"What this family expects from Rukia-dono is nothing but what it is expected from any noble lady, as I am sure you are aware of. The family knows what is better for her, so why should she be given options that might not be appropriate for the Kuchiki name and her own honor? The decision is already made," Yasumoto argued with a final tone.

"Yasumoto, the final decision on her hand is for Byakuya-sama to make," the old woman spoke for the first time, interrupting the heated discussion. She turned to Byakuya. "The urgency does exist, Byakuya-sama. You do remember how fortunate it was that your father produced an heir – you – early. Had he not, and your lineage would be extinguished by now, as you well know. It would be a shame and a loss if he had taken his time and procrastinated in doing so. He never even got to be the head of the family before his passing. You, however, have been the head of our family for a while, and yet…" she stopped, leaving the obvious meaning implied.

"Regarding Rukia's predicament… you request an option." She paused briefly, her eyes narrowing slightly. She continued, slowly: "There is an option… It might be controversial, and I cannot infer the council's opinion on it yet, but it certainly attends all the prerogatives discussed so far."

Rukia found herself leaning forward in expectation.

"You can marry her yourself, if you feel inclined to do so," She paused briefly, then continued. "It would be faster than waiting for a lady to pass the scrutiny of your high standards, Byakuya-sama", she smiled at him, knowingly. "So I believe that, given the urgency that is being enforced by the council, it is a satisfying solution that could not be denied. Besides, as Yasumoto-san always likes to emphasize, you both are not related by blood… right, Yasumoto-san?" She looked at her younger brother with a light smirk on her face.

Silence descended upon the room. Rukia was trying to process the absurdity of those words. Byakuya stood quiet as a stone. Yasumoto couldn't hide the displeasure at his sister's suggestion and irony. The only person who didn't seem affected was Michiko herself, who seemed quite pleased for instigating those reactions.

After some seconds of absolute silence, Yasumoto was the first to speak, breaking it:

"That is correct; -If- Byakuya-sama is willing to give her such an honor, the council could not forbid it… However, the other option would give us two weddings and twice the chance for heirs, so it is obviously more beneficial. Also, I believe it would be utterly inappropriate and also rather scandalous, considering the whole society knows her as his sister-"

"If Byakuya-sama decides to give her this honor, it is not our place to oppose him."

Byakuya finally spoke with a strong yet low, emotionless tone, his back turned to Rukia:

"I am willing to do so if Rukia finds this a more acceptable option for her predicament,"

Nothing could describe Rukia's shock at hearing those words, she couldn't believe her ears. After a few seconds of sheer astonishment, she noticed the elders' eyes were on her, expecting a reaction or an answer. She wasn't sure she had one.

"So, Rukia-dono, how do you feel about marrying your broth-" Yasumoto asked with a debonair tone, but was interrupted by Michiko.

"Yasumoto. I believe this is all too sudden, and it is probably wiser to give not only Rukia-dono, but we all, some time to meditate on the subject. We shall have another meeting tomorrow in the morning, when she should communicate her decision."

"If the purpose is to give them an opportunity to think, I propose the dinner I mentioned previously. In two nights, next Saturday, we can promote a gathering where they can meet Eisei and other ladies from the noble families. On the third day, in the morning, Rukia shall give us her answer."

"Very well, so be it." Michiko stood up and moved to leave. It was a sign that the meeting was over. Yasumoto followed her, and Rukia simply bowed when they passed her.

Immediately after they left the room, Byakuya spoke:

"Before we discuss this any further, there is another subject that I need to talk to you about. We shall do it after dinner tonight."

"Hai, nii-sama" she answered meekly, watching him leave the room.

Anxiety started to rise in her chest and her head was spinning. That would be a long day...

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That's it, better to have the whole scene, uh? ;)

Please let me know what you think for now. I have part of chapter 3 done, but some reviews might make me write it a little faster haha. ;)

Take care!

Wynn


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, dears! As promised, here is your third chapter. I've also corrected some small errors on the previous ones – geez I need a beta, anyone interested? – and I deleted the document with half the second chapter, since there is no use for it anymore (and it was a little messy to have both online).

Also, I'd like to thank you all for the lovely words; your reviews are a great inspiration for me. They are a smile each time I open my email, and a nice feeling of sharing a story and talking about a paring I like, just as I usually do with my friends in real life, and it feels great. :)

[Edit]: I finally found a beta! Dear Royal blueKitsune was kind enough to volunteer for the task! Thank you so much!

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Rukia didn't feel well. Every time she tried to think about her predicament and the decision she had to make, she would feel nauseated to a point where she couldn't think at all. The scheduled talk after dinner wasn't helping in the least. She was sure Ukitake-taichou noticed she was particularly distracted, since he told her to go home early that day.

She obliged, but took her time, not wanting to arrive to her destination so soon. Step by step, she slowly took her way home and it felt too short when she finally reached the gates of the Kuchiki estate, being greeted by the servants as she entered the mansion. Rukia tried to avoid whoever she might meet on her way and went straight to take a bath. She made it a long one, trying to relax, but the decision she had to make, the elders, Eisei, the dinner, Byakuya, it all kept spinning in her head over and over.

After a day full of anxiety, dinner finally came. Rukia was called by the servants and walked reluctantly to the dining room, where her honorable brother was already waiting for her.

They had their meal in absolute silence, but their hearts and minds couldn't be any less quiet. Their eyes moved around, never meeting; the corners of the dining room had never received so much attention before. Byakuya seemed lost in thought and gloomier than usual, while Rukia was all anxiety and doubt. What should she expect from that conversation? She could barely eat at all.

Suddenly, he stared right at her with piercing slate eyes and said:

"I believe you are finished. Follow me," he ordered, standing up.

Rukia obliged and they entered a small parlor in a wing of the mansion that was solely for their use, the same one where their bedrooms were situated.

"Please take a seat."

She did so, but he remained standing.

"I am sure that you believe this conversation is related to the things discussed earlier in the morning, but it is not. It is about something that I must tell you. It was not my intention to do so, but as it might have an effect upon your decision, I could not let you do it blindly. I do not think she would want that either." He looked to the ground, deep in thought.

Rukia simply nodded and waited, puzzled.

"It is an old story, of thirty years ago. In that year, I lost my wife before the first plum blossomed."

"I know. Hisana-sama," she paused. "I was told you took interest in me because I greatly resembled your wife. That is why I was accepted into the Kuchiki family as your sister."

"That is right. I instructed them to tell you that lie." He walked to the window and looked outside, but there were no stars in the clouded sky that night.

Rukia looked at him, a glimmer of confusion in her eyes. She had always thought this story seemed a little weird, not to say embarrassing. It had caused her great distress in the past... had her fears been justified after all?

"Hisana was your sister."

Rukia drew in a sharp breath, clearly not expecting such a confession from his part, but he continued relentlessly: "Hisana died in the real world and was sent to Inuzuri with you. However, it was difficult to survive. She abandoned you when you were still a baby and fled. That is what she said."

"She regretted it deeply. Even after she became my wife, every day she continued to search for you. And then, in the spring of the fifth year…" he paused, the memory was clearly painful for him.

"Hisana fell terribly sick. I tried everything in my power to save her, but she knew her time was coming." He gave another pause to gather his thoughts before continuing. "In her last moments, she was still thinking about you. She asked me to keep looking for you, to find you and protect you without telling you that she was your sister, as she didn't think she was worth the title."

He sighed sadly.

"I found you the next year, and immediately entered you into the Kuchiki family, despite the opposition from those who thought I was lowering the family name. My decision was met with great resistance, the same as when I decided to marry her. But I cut through everyone's objections; I had to fulfill my promise to Hisana. I knew I was breaking the rules again, for her, and I promised, in my parent's grave, that it would be the last time I would do it. Since then, I have been keeping both promises. I used my power to protect you and adopted you. Yet, by making you a noble, I exposed you to obligations that I might not be able to keep you from. And for that, I apologize."

They stood there in silence for a while, an uncomfortable silence. She knew she should say something, anything…

Byakuya cut her off before she could think of anything wise to answer:

"What you should do with the information I gave you is for you to decide. I only ask you to believe that I was as surprised by the situation as you were, and that I did not know of the elders' intention, if my lie ever made you suspect otherwise. Also, do not understand my offering as anything but another attempt to protect you. Do not feel obligated to accept it or refuse it. If you so wish, I can try to postpone any marital obligations for as long as possible", he paused briefly "though I cannot predict how long that would be."

Rukia blushed in deep embarrassment and watched speechless as he moved towards the door.

"For now, try to rest. I will see you in the morning. Have a good night." He closed the door behind him, without looking at her.

After being silent for so long, Rukia had to search her voice to answer "Good night… onii-sama."

Shock was definitely the word of the day. How else could she define so many astonishing revelations and situations? She was to marry soon? She had to choose between Eisei and her brother? Which was actually her brother-in-law? And she had a sister? It was way too many news to process. Rukia felt dizzy and nauseated again.

So Hisana-sama was her sister… that would definitely explain the great resemblance everybody told her about. She remembered some occasions when she'd met people for the first time and they had looked startled, as if they had seen a ghost. She started to find it a little funny after a while.

She had a sister… a real relative, a family. Well, not really, since she had been abandoned…

How would her life be if she had grown up with her sister? It was impossible to know, and probably fruitless to indulge in those thoughts.

After a few moments of contemplation, Rukia decided she couldn't feel love or hate, sympathy or disgust, she couldn't feel anything towards her dead sister. Maybe it was just the shock, maybe it was just her first reaction. Or maybe a dead sister that she had never met was too much of a non-existent entity in her life to make any difference now.

And yet, Hisana changed her whole life. She had been the reason Rukia was adopted. The reason she became a noble. The reason she became a Shinigami on the 13th squad. The reason she was lonely. The reason she met Kaien-dono… the reason she had to marry someone now.

She had… to marry. The idea was completely absurd. She had never contemplated getting married in her life. She should have seen it coming, given the duties that accompanied the power and benefits of being a noble. Nothing was free in the world, she knew.

Rukia had learned early that her life as noble wouldn't be easy. Still, despite the nasty comments from some members of the clan, she had kept trying to fit in, trying her best to learn everything she should do, sometimes in hope to feel accepted, and in others only to show them that they were nothing special, that she could do it all just as well. But mostly, to please her brother and not disappoint him, to show her gratitude.

And so she learned to behave as a Kuchiki should; to be haughty and cold, to never smile, to know her place as opposed to others. To speak properly, walk, talk, act, eat, breathe, exist as a Kuchiki should. She'd learned that acting came easily to her. Rukia smiled lightly to herself at the thought, but it was fleeting. She had tried her best to fulfill her duties. But to marry? That was a little too much to give.

This marriage subject would remind her inexorably of Kaien-dono. The memory hurt, so much… it was like a pressure on her chest, it almost suffocated her. She breathed heavily in the empty room, trying to soothe the uncomfortable feeling in her heart. As hard as it was to admit, he was the only one that she ever thought about in that way. She had been so happy around him... she couldn't remember being happier ever in her life; the simple fact of being close to him, she didn't need anything else. Now that he was gone, it was easier to admit that she had loved him… and yet, it wouldn't ease the pain in the least to realize that he could not and would have never been hers anyway.

Marriage had never been an option. She had never even dared to dream that far. Her first and only love… had never been a real possibility. And she couldn't even imagine loving anyone else in that same way. She had always thought of marriage as the union of a couple in love… never as a duty. But given that her hopes were broken to start with, would it even make any difference to marry anyone for convenience? She had never wished for marital happiness anyways, and she still had no hopes of finding it. What exactly would she lose then?

The answer came clearly in her mind. The image of Eisei, touching her... in ways no one ever had… to carry his son… she flinched, disgusted. Even if a happy marriage was never an option, that was a little more than she was willing to offer to the family, to say the least… that was way too much!

Yet it was that or marrying her brother… Rukia shook her head a little – she didn't even want to think about that possibility. While he wasn't disgusting… as a man, absolutely, the idea itself… God, she wouldn't even feel comfortable with the single thought of it, let alone the rest. Awkward would not start to describe it. While he was never exactly a brother to her, he was someone she admired and feared, a role model, someone to respect, to obey, to be thankful for, not… argh, no, she didn't want to think about it anymore. She spent so much time trying to convince herself and getting used to seeing him as a brother (or something in the lines of it) that now it felt completely sinful to look at him in any other way.

But she dared to imagine it, just a little. And, embarrassing as it was, the idea didn't feel so horrible after all… Rukia was aware that her brother was considered one of, if not the top bachelor in the whole Seireitei, and many women would be ecstatic to be in her place. If she had been in another situation, maybe… no, she really didn't want to think about it any further, she concluded, blushing.

Rukia left the parlor, and walked to her bedroom, decided to sleep as soon as possible. Before stepping inside, she looked at the door close to hers, at the end of the corridor, where her brother probably was at the moment. She had the feeling that the thoughts in her mind wouldn't let her sleep as soon as she desired…

In another part of the Kuchiki mansion, Byakuya stood in front of a small shrine, contemplating Hisana's photograph.

"I'm sorry," he said, dejectedly.

He still felt like he wasn't apologizing for everything that he should.

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Rukia woke up late and tired. She missed breakfast, and went straight to the 13th squad quarters. She decided to work until late that day, to compensate her delay, despite the continuous advice to go home from Ukitake-taichou.

She looked distressed and distracted, or so he said, and he asked a few times if there was anything troubling her, but she really didn't want to talk about it. She insisted on staying. It was good to keep her mind busy with other things, and his presence was usually relaxing to her. Also, she was able to avoid her house and her brother and she didn't need to face the mess her life was turned into.

If only for that, she was already really glad.

* * *

*I decided for the term "taichou" instead of captain when someone is calling them by the name since, like the sama/dono/san, it is also an honorific. Everywhere else, captain will be used. I'm not fond of using random japanese terms, so I'm using them only when I feel it's necessary. It's just that I watch the anime in Japanese, so calling them without honorifics or in the western way (Rukia Kuchiki instead of Kuchiki Rukia) sounds too weird for me. ^^'

That's it! Chapter 4 was written before this one and only needs some reviewing now. I apologize if this was too contemplative, but since both Byakuya and Rukia seem to have an introspective personality, I felt like it was necessary. Next one has a lot more action, though. :)

Take care,

Wynn


	4. Chapter 4

Finally chapter 4! This is getting longer than I anticipated… at first I was wondering if I should include this chapter on the fic and it turned out I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you enjoy reading it too. :)

Also, a warning to my dear readers:

I don't like to see random Japanese words in fanfics, as you are not supposed to know them. However, as previously mentioned, I will make exceptions when there is no proper translation to English (i.e the honorifics nii-san/sama). In this chapter (and in the future), I will be mentioning Japanese traditions, costumes, clothes, etc, so in this case I will use a small glossary in the beginning of the chapter. I hope it doesn't bother you too much. Btw, I'm not committing to follow all traditions perfectly, I might excuse myself with "artistic license" if needed, to make it more interesting for us! ;)

Enough with the talking!

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Japanese words mentioned:

_Iromuji - kimono with light colors, mainly worn to tea ceremonies. _

_nagajuban and a hadajuban - underwear garments to be used under the kimono_

_Furisode - the most formal kimono for unmarried women. Usually very colorful, with colorful patterns that cover the entire garment, and characterized by very long sleeves._

_Omiai - Japanese custom whereby unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage, usually with the help of a host and in the presence of the family._

_Kaiseki - Traditional multi-course Japanese dinner analogous to Western haute cuisine, a highly formal banquet. Originally, it was the light meal that accompanied the tea ceremony. _

_Kanzashi - hair ornament_

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_._

_.._

The ghastly dinner would happen in a few hours, and Rukia decided to take a long bath, in a hopeless final attempt to relax. She wasn't fond of social meetings in the first place; social meetings where she had to interact with noble ladies and a possible fiancée were definitely a punishment from the gods. She was also probably expected to be host and serve the tea, so she had to recall the teachings she received after she joined the family, as she did not have the opportunity to practice it much in the past years.

She wondered what kind of kimono she should wear. Would a _iromuji_ be enough? She remembered the trouble she'd had when learning about noble etiquette just after she joined the nobility; clothing had only been a small part of it. The first time she had been shown her chambers, she found in her wardrobe many types of wonderful kimonos she'd had no idea where to wear, or even how to try them on, being used only to the practical academy clothes or her poor Rukongai ones, which consisted basically of a short-sleeved kimono that had been discarded immediately.

Now she owned many types of kimonos that were still hardly used, as she preferred to wear her Shinigami uniform, a more comfortable and appropriate attire for battle. Her brother had also presented her with beautiful hair ornaments and jewelry that, now that she thought about it, she had probably inherited from Hisana or Byakuya's mother, and were equally barely used, as she still avoided the occasions to wear them.

"Excuse me, Kuchiki Rukia-sama, I am here to help you get dressed," a female voice called outside her door.

"Please come in," Rukia responded. The door opened and a young girl entered the room. She was wearing a simple short-sleeved kimono, and Rukia recognized her as the girl who had woken her up two days before. It seemed like she had been designated to be her maid some time ago, even though Rukia rarely had need for one.

The girl seemed pleased to have such an opportunity as she carefully went to Rukia's wardrobe and pulled a _nagajuban_, a _hadajuban_ and the other smaller garments from inside. She approached Rukia, who simply nodded, letting the girl do her job. She started with the socks and proceeded with her work dutifully, putting on piece by piece. She went back to the wardrobe and pulled a beautiful purple _furisode_ from inside.

"Am I supposed to wear a _furisode_?" Rukia asked, wondering how formal the dinner would be.

"Yes, Kuchiki Rukia-sama. I was told to dress you up with this one," the maid explained simply.

Rukia merely nodded, wondering who had given her this order.

"Will this be more of an _omiai_ than a dinner?" she murmured, more to herself than to the girl. The thought was mortifying.

The girl finished dressing her up, and started working on her hair, pulling and twisting the thick strands in an elegant bun.

"I was only told about an important _Kaiseki_ tonight, Rukia-sama" the girl answered, after a moment where she contemplated if she was supposed to answer at all.

The girl went to the dresser and came back with an expensive set of purple sapphire jewelry, which was put on Rukia with delicacy. She carefully adjusted a beautiful _kanzashi_ of white gold and amethyst on Rukia's hair. After that, she gave a step back, probably wondering if she had forgotten anything. The girl seemed to be pleased with the result.

"Kuchiki Byakuya-sama asked you to be on the main dining room in ten minutes to receive the guests" the girl finished, applying a sweet smelling perfume on Rukia as a finishing touch .

Rukia nodded and sat on her bed, waiting patiently for those dreadful 10 minutes to pass.

_*****_

By the look on his face, Rukia concluded that her brother appreciated her being on time as she walked elegantly towards him, stopping by his side to receive the guests. One-by-one, they entered the main halls and bowed lightly in front of their hosts, being greeted with a similar short bow. Rukia recognized most of the guests. Five of them were elders and arrived before the others, coming from different wings of the mansion.

This first one to arrive was Fujiwara-sama, Byakuya's grandfather's brother and the oldest elder alive. Rukia looked at his almost completely white hair and his face, so strong and masculine, far from delicate as Byakuya's was and noticed how different they were. His features were too pronounced for her to believe that he had ever been handsome, even in his younger years. The elder also seemed to have held a scowl so many times in his life that now in his old age it had been permanently imprinted on his features, giving him an expression of neverending displeasure or grumpiness. To think that her elder brother, with his almost delicate features, his elegance and the graceful air that seemed to cling to him naturally, could be related to this man... Rukia smirked inwardly. She could pass off as his real sister before this man could claim to have the same blood as Byakuya.

Yasumoto-sama and Michiko-sama were Byakuya's father's siblings and entered just after their uncle. Michiko-sama was wearing a beautiful black and cobalt blue kimono that suited her orange hair, and blue sapphire jewelry. Rukia also greeted two elders that she was barely acquainted with, which she believed were Byakuya's father cousin and his mother's brother, but she wasn't sure which was which.

After those, they were approached by a handsome man with dark blond hair, about the same age as her brother, wearing a dark blue kimono and which she easily recognized as Eisei-dono.

He bowed lightly to Byakuya then turned to her. Bowing, he said:

"Rukia-dono, please accept this gift for your kindness as a hostess." He handed her a small box.

She looked at her brother lightly and took the box, bowing. "Thank you very much," was her only answer.

The four other guests were all ladies, escorted by retainers that were not supposed to attend the dinner, but patiently wait for them to be finished with the visit. Rukia observed that, even if it was not declared, they all seemed to know the reason they were invited. After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.** And her brother, with his looks, wealth and power was considered the best option for a husband in the whole Seireitei.

One of them was a blonde woman, introduced as a member of the Kasumiōji clan. She was wearing a light pink kimono that matched her delicate features. The second one was her cousin, or so Rukia understood, from the same family. She had light green eyes, black hair and aristocratic features. She was wearing a light green kimono and a gorgeous jade set of jewelry. The third young lady belonged to the Kannooji family. She had brown hair and wore a yellow kimono with golden ornaments and seemed frail and a little shy. Finally the forth one belonged to the Shihōin family. She was dark skinned, with light blue eyes and light cerulean hair. She had sly movements and a charming posture and for a moment, she reminded Rukia of a cat.

They all moved to the dinner table and took their seats. As expected, due to their position as hosts, Byakuya and Rukia were seated at opposite sides of the table; her brother surrounded by the ladies on each side of him, the elders in the center and Eisei to her right. As the servants bustled about, starting to serve their meals, he tried to initiate a conversation:

"Rukia-dono," she turned to him at hearing her name. "What a shame that in so many years in the family we were never able to have a proper conversation. You've always seemed like such an interesting lady." She remembered when they had been first introduced some years ago and felt the urge to snort at his comment, since he had never made any effort to talk to or paid any attention to her whatsoever. Instead, she contended herself with smiling and nodding.

"How long has it been? Twenty years?"

"Thirty, actually," She corrected him politely.

"Ah, you must be used to being a Kuchiki then." He asked in a pleasant tone, with a charming smile, looking around a bit.

"I would say so." She answered.

"Time enough to get used to having an older brother, a close family, I assume," he observed. Was he inquiring about her 'sibling' relationship with Byakuya? Was he trying to get any hints on her choice?

"Yes, nii-sama is an excellent man, whom I admire and respect" She avoided giving him any indications. Her eyes shifted towards Byakuya, who was looking back at her.

Eisei decided to change the subject. "I've heard you got a seated position on your squad lately. Congratulations." He said with a smile.

"Thank you." She had always wondered if that had only happened due to the passing of Kaien-dono, and tried to hide her discomfort at this. He had no way of knowing that.

The dinner proceeded accordingly. Eisei kept working on a trivial yet pleasant conversation which she tried to follow and answer, and Yasumoto-sama would offer his help eventually, asking them both questions once in a while. While Eisei's words seemed exceedingly kind and attentive towards her, which brought her some discomfort, Rukia noticed something off about his ways. His gaze would occasionally stray away, a small gesture that Rukia identified as a difficulty in concentrating on their conversation. Looking closely, his body language seemed to denounce a fake curiosity, instead of an honest interest in her, or so was her impression.

She looked at her brother again and noticed that his attention was still on her; he seemed not at all interested in the suitors that were trying to get into his good graces. She could not figure out a reason for that, but then again, her brother had always been a mystery to her. Was he worried about Eisei-dono's exceeding attention? Was there any reason to worry? Was there anything wrong with her? Or was he only bored? If the latter was true, Rukia couldn't blame him… Unable to decipher his motivations, she dismissed any further thoughts on the subject and concentrated on her dinner.

At the end of it, tea was brought and, as a host, she knew she was expected to serve the men. She stood up and ritually did so, starting with Fujiwara-sama and the other elders. She then moved to Eisen-dono and finally she approached her brother, bowing slowly before graciously serving him. Only after she sat back, did she allow herself to breathe and relax a little, knowing she hadn't done anything wrong.

After a while, the guests started to leave, congratulating them for the pleasant gathering. The ladies were definitely well-impressed and hoping for a chance to be the next Lady Kuchiki. The elders also started to leave for their wing of the castle. Rukia excused herself and she too left to the main wing where her bedroom was situated.

Before following the others, Yasumoto approached Byakuya and commented:

"What a nice evening, Byakuya-sama. I believe the dinner was a success, wouldn't you say so?" He asked rhetorically. Without waiting for a reply, he added: "Have a good night." Byakuya nodded, bowed as custom asked, and each left to their respective chambers.

Looking at his uncle's retreating figure, he narrowed his eyes. It was crystal clear that other interests were involved in this whole succession situation. Yet, he could not mention it to Rukia – he would leave the decision in her hands.

'A success?' Byakuya asked himself dryly, as he glided through empty halls. He remembered a faint sweet scent and a glimpse of a perfect neck and collarbone that had been the best impression he had gotten the entire night. A dinner to find a fiancée could hardly be considered a success when the only lady that captured one's attention was one's own sister...

*****

At her bedroom, Rukia opened the small box she had been given and found inside a beautiful hair ornament, a flower made of amethysts and a purple sapphire in the center, which would have suited perfectly the outfit she was wearing that night. It was something rich and showed good taste, but she didn't expect any less from a Kuchiki. She changed into her nightclothes, trying not to panic over the decision she would have to communicate in the morning, but thankfully, the dinner made her tired and she quickly fell asleep.

* * *

** Quote from the wonderful writer Jane Austen, this is the first phrase of her work "Pride and Prejudice" I was about to write something similar when I noticed the phrase would suit perfectly. Sorry, I'm a fan!

I'm working on chapter 5 now, but I can't promise to do it as fast. Please let me know what you think of this one, it means a lot to me. :)

xoxo

Wynn


	5. Chapter 5

Hello dears! Are you still there, still reading this?

I apologize for the delay in delivering this chapter, but as I warned you, it took me a little longer than usual (life has been a little busy, and the chapter was not so easy for me). I hope it was worth it! I set in my mind a deadline for it, and it was today. Since it's past midnight here, it's my birthday!! (January,12th – and Rukia's birthday is in 2 days! Maybe I like her so much cause she's a Capricorn like me? Lol). Anyways, I hope you like it! :) And many thanks to my dear beta who helped me deliver it in time!

Have fun!

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Japanese words/costumes mentioned:

_Yui-no: Prior to a wedding, a yui-no ceremony is prepared, in which the bride and groom and their families exchange a series of gifts that signify happiness and fortune. It is also an opportunity for the families to know each other and show their financial status through expensive gifts._

_Taian: From the 14th to 19th century, Japan used a lunar calendar with six days, each of them associated with luck, misfortune, or something in between. Even nowadays, this tradition is followed. Taian is traditionally considered the best day for ceremonies like weddings, and it's called 'The day of great peace'_

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..

A knock on her door pulled Rukia from her blissful sleep. Her eyes opened slowly and she stared at her window, her mind still foggy and unable to grasp what had woken her up. The day was rainy and windy. A second knock on her door was followed by the familiar voice of a servant:

"Kuchiki Rukia-sama, your presence is required in a meeting with the elders, in five minutes. I shall be waiting to escort you," the servant informed her.

She looked at the wall clock – it was almost ten o'clock! 'Shit!' was her first coherent thought.

Rukia got up, hurried and dizzy, cursing herself for being late again. Damn, she barely had time to think about her decision last night; now she had no time left and absolutely no idea what to say!

She took a quick shower and dressed in a hurry, trying to make herself presentable with what little time she had. There would be no time for breakfast, but she was sure that wasn't a good idea anyway, given how nauseated she felt, her anxiety growing with every minute.

'Who would be there?' she wondered, while she walked towards the private room where she was expected. What was she supposed to say? She wished she had thought of a speech for this, but alas, here she was, completely unprepared. She cursed herself inwardly again. Before she had time to think any further, Rukia arrived at her destination and the servant announced her presence.

She entered the room and bowed.

"Good morning, Fujiwara-sama, Michiko-sama, Yasumoto-sama… nii-sama," she noticed, warily, the presence of her brother in the room. While she had always felt a little safer facing the elders in his presence, this time in particular it made it much worse than it had to be - as if it wasn't bad enough already. Regardless of whether she accepted or rejected his offer, she would rather not do it in front of him.

"Rukia-dono," Yasumoto greeted her with a better disposition than usual. "I believe you had time enough in the past three days to think about your decision? I hope the dinner last night was helpful to ease your concerns," he added.

She simply nodded, not sure of what to say. Rukia had noticed before that Yasumoto-sama seemed to defend the elders' first idea fiercely and was probably referring to it.

"The council leniently allowed you to make your own choice on this subject, a proof of kindness and a freedom many young noble ladies are not allowed. I believe Rukia-dono recognizes that," Fujiwara continued, voice deep and powerful, despite his old age.

"Hai, Fujiwara-sama. You honor me with your kindness." She answered politely. So they had agreed on the possibility of her marrying Byakuya instead of Eisei, leaving the decision entirely to her. But were they really ready to accept it either way? Yasumoto-sama seemed still very much against that idea. She couldn't disagree with him that it would be rather scandalous…

Something flickered in the back of her mind. Eisei was Byakuya's cousin, and related to his father, which made him third in succession. Who were his parents, then? She was never told. As far as she knew, Byakuya's father only had Michiko-sama and Yasumoto-sama as siblings, so it had to be one of them. She had to be careful as she would be referring to the son of one of them. And to turn him down would probably be considered offensive…

"The council does not have all day, Rukia-dono," Fujiwara reminded her, and Rukia noticed they were waiting for her answer already.

"It must be hard for her to say it, but I am sure she came to her senses and realized what is the best for this family, right, Rukia-dono?" Yasumoto-sama prodded, apparently deigning it fit to help her form her thoughts in words.

He had to be Eisei's father… Michiko-sama had lost her son some years before. She remembered someone mentioning it in the past. If he really was Eisei's father… why did he want this marriage so much? Was Eisei honestly interested in her? Rukia suddenly had a bad feeling, as if she didn't have all the information she needed to make this decision. This entire situation felt suddenly distinctly wrong.

'Think, Rukia, think. What should I do? I have to answer them now.' She remembered her brother's words three days ago, that he would try to 'postpone' her 'marital obligations'… that certainly would only apply if she chose him, instead of Eisei. Once married, Eisei could do to her as he pleased. Rukia remembered her feelings towards him on the previous night. She'd had a slight impression that his interest in her wasn't genuine… or had it been only her fears talking?

She thought about the alternative. It was hard to admit, but honestly, the idea of marrying her brother didn't feel as terrible as it should. Also, in this hurried situation, Byakuya seemed like a more appealing choice, as the idea made her feel… safer. At least she knew what to expect from him. Ideally, that was not the best motivation to marry someone. But what was ideal in any of this?

Rukia noticed everyone's eyes on her, and felt their impatience rising.

"Yasumoto-sama, Eisei-dono is a very gifted and honored man and the dinner was remarkably pleasant. I am sure any noble lady would feel delighted to have him as her husband."

The old man smiled.

"However," she added, "as for compatibility… I fear I could not be the wife Eisei-dono deserves," Rukia breathed, trying to muster up some courage to go on. "Therefore I judged it would be for the best of all involved that…" Would she really be able to say it? "that I… marry nii-- Byakuya-sama instead." She paused. "That is, if… If he did not change his disposition." She added quickly. Rukia could hear every beat of her heart thundering in her chest; she was shaking slightly and probably visibly flustered. She would never be able to look at him in the eye again. Suddenly she felt too aware of his presence - she did not need to turn around to feel his strong reiatsu filling the room.

"I have not changed my disposition," She heard him replying, in his most characteristic tone, denoting absolutely no emotion. Why did he have to be so impossible to read? For a moment, she envied his self-control.

Yasumoto seemed outraged by her answer, when he spoke:

"I still believe it would be quite improper and--"

"It seems we have an agreement then." Fujiwara-sama proclaimed curtly, ending the subject. It was clear that the elder considered the details of this situation of little importance and was eager to solve it as soon as possible. Rukia looked at Yasumoto-sama, feeling a growing sense of trepidation as he changed colors swiftly, most likely from anger at being interrupted. Fujiwara-sama continued:

"Now the only thing missing is an appropriate date to be set. I trust a week or ten days would be enough for the preparatives?" He asked, turning to Michiko.

"Yes, of course. Unless…" she paused and then turned to Byakuya. "I believe a _Yui-no_ would not be desirable, am I correct, Byakuya-sama?" She asked.

"That would be entirely unnecessary and meaningless considering the situation at hand," he agreed.

'Ten days?' Rukia repeated in her head, eyes wide, letting the information sink in. That would be way too soon! She had been hoping for at least a month or two.

Michiko checked the calendar she had brought with her.

"We will have a _Taian_ next Saturday. How very fortunate. It seems like the best date in the near future." She concluded, still looking at it.

"That is… in less than a week. Wouldn't it be too soon?" Rukia suggested, trying to hide the little desperate accent in her voice.

"No, I believe we can prepare it all until then," Michiko answered, briefly glancing towards Rukia, her tone denoting that the answer had been very obvious. A shadow of a smile flitted on her lips, but the change was so subtle that Rukia couldn't be sure of what she'd seen. Rukia wondered how many weddings she had organized before.

"Yes, it will be ready by then," she repeated, turning towards Fujiwara.

"Very well, then, it seems we are finished here," he stood up. "Do you have any objections, Byakuya-sama?"

"No," he answered dryly, also standing up.

"We take our leave then. I'm sure Michiko, the other ladies and the servants have much to do and should start soon," The elder said, walking slowly towards the door.

Michiko and Yasumoto only followed him in silence.

Rukia started to trail after them, hoping to avoid staying alone in the room with her brother, but her plans failed as she heard her name:

"Rukia." She stopped at the sound of his husky voice. She didn't want to turn around and face him, so she simply waited a bit.

"This won't be a secret for too long, so I advise you to stay at home for a day or two if you prefer to avoid unwanted questions or gossip."

She turned slightly towards him, without looking at him directly.

"I believe I still have duties as a Shinigami to attend," she reminded him. That and she would also be relieved to stay away from the mansion for some hours – or days, if she could.

Byakuya turned to look at the ground, in deep thought. He added after a pause:

"You should still stay at home today. Your presence will be required to decide some arrangements and details of the wedding."

"Hai, nii-sama," Rukia agreed slightly annoyed. She wasn't planning on leaving; she just wanted to stay in her bedroom and not take part in any decision that concerned flowers or whatever else that might remind her of the wedding.

"You should also refrain from using that term from now on," he pointed out.

Rukia flushed hotly. She would have to pay attention until she could get used to it again. Suddenly, she realized what he was doing for her. They were really going to marry.

Looking at her brother, Rukia pondered that he probably wasn't so happy about the situation either. Actually... she realized she had just imposed it on him. She had used him as a tool to avoid her fate, at least for a while. She had chosen it. Byakuya, however, was only doing this to fulfill a promise. Bound by honor and by his word. And she had taken advantage of it. She felt disgusted with herself and her selfishness.

Was he angry at her? Was he disappointed that she had accepted his proposition, that he had to marry her? She felt sad for him, for them both.

"I'm sorry," she said, eyes fixed on the floor, before she could appraise the adequacy of such words.

"Don't be."

"No! I chose… I - I'm so-" She didn't want to say it, but she felt a terrible urge to apologize. Forcing someone like him to marry her was completely disgusting. She felt revulsion at her cowardly behavior, and suddenly she wasn't too sure if she had made the right decision.

"Rukia, I was the one to offer you the option. I was requested to choose a wife, and I did. Let's not discuss this any further," he ordered.

She was a little surprised by his words. 'He did?' She wondered confused. Was that how he saw it? That he had… chosen her? She was still numb when she heard herself reply:

"Hai… Byakuya-sama."

He paused, staring at her as if thinking deeply, then nodded abruptly and turned to leave.

Rukia watched his retreating back, trying to figure out his and her emotions for a moment. She shook her head, with a sigh of resignation, and turned slowly towards her room as well.

Privacy sounded wonderful after all that she'd passed through.

* * *

That's it, I hope you had fun! Please let me know how do you like it so far, what you liked, or didn't, where do you think this is going. It's just a click away, and I really love to read every one of your reviews! Oh, and I get a little emotional in my birthday, so please be kind! ^^'

Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! As promised, chapter 6 is up! It's a little bigger than usual... enjoy, next chapter might take a little while. Please review, let me know what you think. :)

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..

Rukia had barely closed the door and made herself comfortable in the bedroom, when she heard a light knock on said door, starting her slightly.

"Please come in," she answered.

"Kuchiki Rukia-sama," a middle-aged woman on a cherry-pink kimono entered her room and bowed. Her features were common but inspired a remarkable friendliness. "My name is Ayame, and I am the florist in charge of the decoration of your marriage. I'm very glad to meet you." She paused expectantly, a smile on her face.

"N-Nice to meet you, Ayame-san," Rukia replied, surprised. Even with her brother's warning, she wasn't expecting marriage arrangements quite so soon.

"Michiko-sama asked me to meet you immediately so we could attend to urgent matters, like the flowers. You see, we have to make sure the flowers are adequate and in perfect state for the day, and they might be difficult to find, according to your taste." The woman said, smiling. She had brought a thick book with her, which she deposited on the closest table.

"I admit, I might need some help on this," Rukia blinked, a little scared. She had never given a thought – or even one advice - on a decoration or anything similar in her life.

"First of all, let me congratulate you. To marry Kuchiki Byakuya-sama! You must be thrilled!" the woman suggested, a sincere smile on her face.

"Erh… Byakuya—n-sama is a very honorable man, whom I admire deeply," Rukia replied slightly embarrassed. She had a feeling this would not be the last time she would be require to express her opinion of her honorable brother, now fiancée. And damn, she had almost used nii-sama again!

"Please take a look at this," the woman showed the album she had brought. "I have pictures of some types of decoration so you can tell me what you like and what you don't. I know it's winter, which asks for something more clean, like lilies and orchids, but spring is so close, we can try to mix with something a little more cheerful if you want."

Clean…clean seemed like a good idea. Cheerful? That didn't seem to match her nii… her fiancée at all.

"For example, I happen to know that Kuchiki Byakuya is very fond of sakura, is he not? We can try to use it on some of the arrangements, like this one." She continued, showing a picture on the album of a beautiful ikebana.

"He is indeed." Rukia agreed. "Aren't they supposed to bloom only in spring though?"

"Oh yes, but we are able to find places where they bloom earlier, or sometimes we do it artificially. We just need to be made aware of the necessity in advance, but that's why I'm here." She laughed demurely, then continued.

"So we basically need to decide two decorations – one for the temple, and one for the reception. What do you think about these?" She started showing the pictures, and asking Rukia her opinion, to which she would simply answer yes or no – at least the woman was doing a good job in trying to find her taste – when she didn't really had any idea in the first place.

"Tule on the walking passage?"

Rukia simply nodded. Wait, what passage? Ah, right…

"Candles?"

Wasn't that a little too romantic?

"Of course candles, it would make it all a little warmer, since we're going for a lighter decoration." Ayame smiled to herself.

Ayame-san seemed to be having a ball, Rukia noted to herself. She could do it all by herself, and it would probably end up beautifully either way. 'Why do I even need to take part on this?'

She wondered if Ayame-san had decorated her brother previous marriage too. Had Hisana chosen it all with the proper cheerfulness of a happy bride?

The woman was looking at her, waiting for her answer about the carpet…or was it the curtains back there?

Rukia sighed and apologized.

*****

Ayame-san was a very kind person, but Rukia was glad that she seemed to be finished for now. The spark of joy that she had, thinking that she would finally have some time for herself, was quickly gone as she heard another knock on her door as soon as the woman left.

"Kuchiki Rukia-sama, I am Okita-san, I'm in charge of the food and beverage service in your wedding. I'm delighted to meet you. May I come in?"

Rukia nodded dumbly.

"Michiko-sama asked me to meet you for some directions on what we are going to serve…"

That would be a very, very long afternoon….

*****

After a day full of decisions about flowers, carpets, candies, type of glasses – which Michiko-sama strongly disagreed with - and even the model of the kimono used by the girls who would bring the sake in the ceremony, Rukia was left feeling exhausted. She threw herself on her bed carelessly, enjoying the feeling for some minutes.

This whole day had been like a torture, and a torture she was supposed to enjoy, nonetheless, or so seemed to be everyone's expectation. She had no previous idea about anything that was asked from her, nor had she ever cared. She was a Shinigami, she thought irately. She just wanted her life back. Rukia looked at the ceiling, her gaze unfocused. Maybe, if she had wanted all of this in the first place… maybe if she was in love…

Rukia felt suffocated. The room seemed to be still full of marriage decisions and arrangements. She stood up and walked slowly until her porch, sitting on the step and enjoying the view of the garden, the silence of the night. It felt so good to be finally alone for a while.

It wasn't so hard to fall in love with her brother - no, she corrected - her fiancée… in everyone's opinion at least. He _was_ rather handsome, she had to admit, blushing even in the solitude of her own thoughts. But what else did she know about him? He was rich, he was powerful, he was strong, a captain… but those were not reasons to fall in love with someone, not for her. Her thoughts briefly drifted towards Kaien-dono, but she ruthlessly quenched them.

Shaking her head, she decided that wealth and power were not the qualities she was looking for. Byakuya was also honorable, a gentleman and a man that wouldn't break a promise once made, that much she knew, and she already admired him for all of that. But she realized that she knew very little about the real Byakuya, even after having lived with him for so many years. What did he like? What was his favorite food? Did he like music? Apparently she only knew about things he didn't like… delay, impertinence, weakness, impropriety, lawbreakers. He would show indifference or disgust towards things, but rarely appreciation, so it was really hard to know.

Senbonzakura – it was supposed to be the expression of his soul, like any zanpakutou. Something so beautiful and delicate… could someone so cold and uncaring be like that deep inside?

Would she ever be able to know? Would he ever allow her? Probably not. No, he had made it clear he was only offering a way out for her situation. This marriage didn't mean anything to him, but a promise he had to fulfill. It wasn't real. It wouldn't do to believe in anything but that.

A glimpse and Rukia saw something moving in the moonlight. She noticed his slim silhouette far away, coming in her direction. What timing! He was probably coming back from one of his night walks, she figured, heading for his bedroom that was just beside hers. He clearly liked to be alone on those walks, so, to avoid an uncomfortable encounter, she stood up and quickly walked back to her own room.

Rukia lay back down on her bed. Yes, to hope for anything else would be inappropriate, not to mention fruitless. Rukia felt a tip of disappointment, quickly followed by annoyance at spending her whole day deciding things for a stupid fake marriage. She went to sleep, glad that tomorrow was blessed Monday. She would go back to her routine as a Shinigami, get away from all this madness, and everything would be normal again. At least for a little while.

*****

Rukia woke up earlier than usual in that morning. She was feeling well and awake, the day was sunny and a cool breeze hit her face as she opened her window. She was particularly glad to be back to reality. It was with a sense of satisfaction that she put on her Shinigami uniform as usual, combed her hair as usual and walked out of her door. As usual. She was also glad that she could have her breakfast alone, as her brother had not left his chambers yet. She ate her meal quickly and efficiently, and then headed towards the 13th division, following the same path she used every day.

She approached her division's headquarters, with a spring on her step, glad to see at least one familiar and unchanging place. As she stepped through the gates, she went to report to Ukitake-taichou, but found his room empty. A smiling Kotsubaki Sentaro greeted her excitedly, though.

"Oy, Good morning, Kuchiki-san!"

"Good morning, Sentaro-san-- where is Ukitake-taichou?" She looked around.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Ukitake-taichou said you wouldn't come for a while…"

"He said what?" She inquired, puzzled.

"Yes, after your brother came here yesterday"

"Nii-sama came… ?!" She couldn't disguise her surprise.

"Anoo… Kuchiki-san, is it true that you are going to marry Kuchiki-taichou?" the shinigami asked, quickly trying to amend his slip-up at her stunned expression. "U-Ukitake-taichou didn't mention anything, no, but you know, we've heard…"

They had heard already?

"Ahn… yes, it is true." She admitted, her eyes diverting to the ground, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, congratulations, Kuchiki-san!" he said, almost yelling. "I knew it had to be true! You were so close since the beginning! Ha ha! Just know that I'm very happy for you and—"

"Sentarooooo," Kotetsu Kiyone had just entered the room in a hurry. "How dare you congratulate Kuchiki-san before me?! Kuchiki-san!" she turned to Rukia and grabbed her hands, "I am sooooo happy for you! Congratulations!"

"Uh, thank you, guys… I'll… come back later then, since it seems I was dismissed, hmm, please let Ukitake-taichou know that I came here," she excused herself, leaving the two of them quickly.

"We will!" both of them answered, still smiling.

"Ha! You own me five bottles of sake now, I told you it was true!" Sentaro challenged behind her, victoriously… most likely thinking that she was out of hearing range.

"I never said it wasn't, idiot! I just said it would be a little weird!" Kiyone replied heatedly.

Yeah, it was a little weird indeed.

Rukia found herself obliged to head towards the Kuchiki mansion again, seeing how she'd been practically shooed out of her own division. So they heard about it already?

Seireitei streets were considerably empty at that hour in the morning, but Rukia could feel some curious glances of those few people passing by. Or was it just her imagination? She decided to pay no attention to it, as she had something more pressing to consider. What was that talk between her brother and her captain? Why wasn't she supposed to show up for work?

She flash-stepped to the mansion; maybe she would be able to talk to her brother before he left for his division. Hurrying proved to be beneficial, for she found him in the main hall, just about to leave.

"Byakuya-nii-sama!" She called. 'Damn I forgot it again' she realized, but pretended not to notice. He was looking at her with his undecipherable gaze.

"I just came from my division, and I was told that… I wasn't supposed to be there. I was also told that you visited my captain." She implicitly questioned.

"I talked to Ukitake yesterday, indeed. You are excused from duty for some weeks at least."

Rukia's eyes narrowed at this, anger rising in her chest. How dare he? Why was she supposed to stay at home? Hadn't yesterday been torture enough? She was feeling trapped now, even more than she already felt about the whole situation. She was barely able to contain her indignation, she had to argue… Wait.

"Weeks?" She repeated, her eyes widening in realization. It was impossible to contain the anger as she continued: "I believe we have less than a week until the marriage. Wouldn't that be enough? Why wouldn't I be allowed to work after it?" she asked, foreseeing a problematic situation. Not only he had taken from her the only point of sanity during this week, but now… taking her job as a Shinigami was unacceptable!

"That will be discussed later," was his dismissive answer.

"But--!"

"This is no time or place for this discussion, Rukia." He interrupted her. "Do not make me repeat myself." He added sharply.

Rukia was fuming, feeling the need to answer back just as bitingly, but suddenly she realized something. She wasn't in a position to demand things as the whole situation of her decision was too recent, and she had just been conceded a 'favor', from both the elders and her brother. It was obvious that the elders would not approve of her to be in danger when she should be working on the Kuchiki heir instead. The thought made her flinch slightly. Maybe that was her brother's way to say that she had a better chance if they discussed this subject later, and probably not there where servants and whoever else might be watching.

Nevertheless, she was still very angry at him. "Very well, Nii-sama," and this time she did it on purpose, a small rebellion that she indulged in. "We shall discuss it later then." She conceded, facing away from him.

He was about to leave when something clicked in her head.

"Did nii-sama mention to Ukitake-taichou I was to marry?"

"Yes… but not whom you were marrying, since it was before your decision. You might want to tell him yourself. And invite him, perhaps." Rukia blinked at the suggestion. Things like invitations had not passed though her head yet. She hadn't even assimilated the situation completely, nor was she happy enough about it to play the happy bride inviting guests. But it seemed like something considerate to do for her captain indeed.

"I will," she simply agreed.

* * *

I have visits at home, so I probably won't find much time to write in the next week. However, most of the scenes are written already, so if I do find some time I might be able to finish it. :)

What else? Uh, review! :P

Ja ne!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello all! I'm sorry it took so long to post this, but no, I'm not stopping, worry not, everything is planned and partly written, and chapter 8 is on its way already. At least you got a bigger chapter! I would like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews and for putting my stories in your favorites, it really makes my day. Also, I would like to thank my beta for doing her wonderful job. It is always worth waiting for your wise advices and suggestions, thanks for dedicating your time to it. :)

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Rukia entered her room, still rather angry after her previous discussion with her brother. She couldn't help the feeling of being trapped. Rukia looked at the walls of her bedroom, a beautifully decorated and large room. It had always been a refuge to her, but at the moment, the four walls surrounding her seemed restricting. She sat on her bed and gazed longingly through her window, noticing that, even at the end of winter, the sun was shining brightly outside already, and nature seemed too cheerful for her.

Rukia sighed, frustrated. The prospect of an arranged marriage sounded more acceptable to her than not being able to go to her division anymore. Being a Shinigami had been her life and all that she had known for the past decades. It was all she had aspired for before becoming a Kuchiki. What was she supposed to do with all her free time now?

The answer came automatically: engage in arrangements for a fake marriage, and then pretend that she was working on the Kuchiki heir, like a happy noble wife should do.

Somehow she didn't feel as thrilled about this prospect as everyone thought she should be.

Still, Rukia thought solemnly, visiting Ukitake-taichou, as her brother suggested, seemed like a good idea. She wanted to see him, talk to him. Not to mention it was a good opportunity to stay away from the manor. Rukia decided she shouldn't give up on talking to her captain that very day.

A light knock on her door caught her attention.

"Kuchiki Rukia-sama?" a young voice called her.

"Yes?"

"Unohana-taichou is here to see you"

'Unohana-taichou?' Rukia wondered, frowning a little.

"Please see that she is comfortable, I'll meet her in the parlor shortly"

"Also, Rukia-sama? Michiko-sama set an appointment for you after lunch, so you are expected to wait for her call."

"I will." She simply answered.

Great, so she was grounded again. Rukia straightened her clothes, then left her room, heading to the main parlor, a room attached to the main hall of the house.

"Unohana-taichou," Rukia greeted the older woman, bowing.

"Kuchiki Rukia-san," the woman smiled sweetly. Rukia noted to herself that she had been served already, noticing the fine china tea set perfectly arranged on the round table behind her.

"Excuse me, Unohana-taichou… my brother left for his division already." Rukia explained, doubtful that the woman had actually come to visit her.

"I imagined so, Rukia-san and I do intend to stop by his division later…but right now, I came here to talk to you."

"Oh." She had? Rukia stared at the forth division captain, looking rather lost. Suddenly it occurred to her that she was expected to take a seat beside the woman, and so she did.

"You see, I've heard a most surprising rumor this morning." Unohana commented, taking a sip of tea from her cup.

"Ah," was all Rukia was able to formulate. So that was what it was about. Goddamnit, did the whole Seireitei know about it already? Not knowing exactly what to say, she waited for the captain to continue.

"That you and Kuchiki-taichou were to marry. Is it true?" Unohana asked delicately, belying absolutely no signs of approval or disapproval at the idea.

"It is," Rukia answered short and directly, trying to mask the light blush on her cheeks that she still felt whenever the subject was brought into a conversation. She found it hard to meet the woman's gaze.

"I see. I believe congratulations are in order then." The woman said cheerfully, smiling at her.

"Thank you," Rukia replied politely, with a forced smile that easily faded.

"Rukia-san… is it your will to marry Kuchiki taichou?" The older woman asked cautiously.

Rukia wasn't sure what to answer. She remembered the many times she spent with Unohana-taichou training healing kidou, and how the older woman had said she would be glad to have her in the forth division. Rukia considered her someone trustful and discreet, and she knew the woman's concern was genuine. Yet, she didn't really know the answer for that question, not even if she questioned herself.

"Kuchiki-taichou is a most honorable man, whom I admire and respect" Rukia chose to answer perfunctorily, using the same safe words she had used before. Maybe she should start using them as a standard answer to this question? The thought briefly amused her.

"He is, indeed." The older woman agreed, her pensive gaze resting on the floor. After a few seconds she added. "He also used to be a very kind husband to his late wife".

'Kind?' Rukia thought a little surprised. Had that adjective ever applied to her brother? She tried to imagine a kind, smiling Byakuya but failed miserably. Rukia wouldn't doubt Unohana's words; she knew the old woman had known her brother since he was young. Nevertheless, Rukia didn't want the captain to see this situation differently from what it really was. She felt the urge to explain it. Rukia didn't want to delude herself either.

"From what I've heard, his last marriage was motivated by love. That is not the case this time. My brother was simply honorable enough to offer me a way out of an arranged marriage that was unacceptable to me." Rukia added, nodding at her own words.

"I see," the captain answered, realization dawning upon her. "That sounds very much like him," she added. Then, unexpectedly, the corner of her lips curved up in a small smile. "It might be for the best, though, that it happens this way." Unohana concluded serenely.

Rukia frowned lightly, not exactly grasping the meaning of those enigmatic words. She tried to think of a way to question further, delicately, but was interrupted by the sudden movement of her visitor standing up.

"It is getting quite late, and I don't want to keep you away from your duties any further. Shall we walk together until your division, Rukia-san?"

Rukia remembered she was still wearing her Shinigami clothes and realized, ashamed, that her situation would be pretty obvious, as she answered:

"Oh, I am not… working today. I was dismissed from my duties for some weeks." Rukia informed, probably not hiding enough her displeasure concerning the topic. More like indefinitely, if things continued going the way they had gone during her most recent discussion with her brother.

"Ah, of course, you will become a married noble lady soon." The older woman agreed. "I am sure the wedding arrangements are taking all of your time." Unohana concluded. "But you do intend to go back to work, then?"

"I might be allowed to, that is what I understood from nii-sama, but I'm not entirely sure." Dammit, would she ever get used to his new honorific? Unohana-taichou seemed to have kindly ignored her slip.

"You must be glad, then. That is unheard of." The old woman added pensively.

'Unheard of?' Rukia repeated in her head, slightly shocked. Suddenly she felt ashamed for blaming her brother earlier.

"Ah, I-I am" she answered without thinking, then quickly added: "But this is yet to be decided."

Unohana-taichou simply nodded in understanding – she was probably much more informed in the ways of nobility than Rukia would ever be.

"Well, I will leave you to your affairs then. Thank you for the pleasant meeting, Rukia-san. We must have tea again sometime soon…" Unohana bowed her head slightly, as if preparing to take her leave, but continued nonetheless:

"It might be a little difficult for you, but please accept my sincere wishes that this marriage bring happiness to both your lives."

"Uhn, thank you," the young shinigami bowed, a hint of red on her cheeks denouncing her embarrassment.

Rukia accompanied the woman until the door, then followed her retreating figure with her eyes. She was still slightly surprised at the woman's last words. Had she not understood that this was not a real marriage?

A cool breeze touched her face in a caress and her hair swayed with it gently.

Or could it… be?

#####

Rukia looked at the clock again, but she didn't need to – the sun was going down in the sky indicating it was late in the afternoon. Michiko-sama had set an appointment after lunch, but had asked a servant to warn Rukia that she would be late, postponing it in two hours. Then she had asked to postpone it again. Rukia was already bored and annoyed, feeling like she had lost the whole day doing nothing but waiting. She had not gone back to her division to talk to her captain, and it seemed she wouldn't be able to, unless her appointment went faster than she expected. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the door.

"Kuchiki Rukia-sama?" Rukia recognized the young voice. It was the girl designated to be her maid, whose name she still couldn't remember.

"Yes?" Rukia answered. "Come in," she added.

"Michiko-sama awaits, please follow me," the girl replied from outside. There was a hint of urgency in her voice.

Rukia opened the door, facing the girl who was on her knees outside, and silently followed her to another wing of the castle. The girl stopped by an opened door, waiting for Rukia to enter first. Michiko-sama was waiting inside, her auburn hair in a bun as usual, and her wrinkled eyes looking concentrated to some papers she held on her hands.

"Rukia-dono," she acknowledged, barely looking at the girl. "About time. I apologize for postponing our appointment; I was delayed by some of your marriage arrangements, but I am sure you are glad that they didn't involve _you_ instead." The woman sounded as if she was doing Rukia a great favor and, therefore, it was all justified. She clearly had not taken well Rukia's reluctance in participating at the wedding preparations.

Rukia's annoyance at losing her whole day was suddenly substituted by tension. The woman had the cold, reserved tone that was characteristic of Kuchiki members and her imposing posture inspired fear. Michiko-sama, like the other elders, could be really scary.

The old woman stood up and moved towards the door. She stopped, waiting expectantly.

"Come, child, there is no time to waste."

Rukia silently followed her through empty halls.

Michiko-sama guided her to a room in a secluded part of the mansion. Stopping by a door, she pulled a key from her kimono and said:

"This is a most urgent decision, so use your time wisely. If you can't find anything to your liking we have little time left and you will have to commit your next days to endless sessions with our sewer. I am already counting on some sessions for eventual adjustments that we may need to make. The old woman opened the door and Rukia stepped inside, following her timidly.

She looked around and noticed, astonished, endless rows of dresses and kimonos used, of course, by the Kuchiki ladies of the past. They were all in perfect state, and it was clear someone was responsible for maintaining and taking care of such treasures. She had never seen so many gorgeous materials before – endless models of silk brocade, silk crepes and satin weaves of splendid colors, with handmade details imprinted on contrasting layers of dazzling beauty. Striking reds and bright oranges, dark blues and rich shades of gold, vivid greens, pale pinks, pure whites... all made of the finest materials, entranced with silver or gold, or encrusted with valuable gems.

"Wonderful aren't they?" Her companion asked, sounding unimpressed. "I'll let you take your time trying to find something adequate for you. I will be back in a while," Michiko left, her gorgeous orange hair making an impression on Rukia. Even with the tied hair, sober clothes and a cold, wrinkled face, her hair and her blue eyes reminded Rukia of an older version of the new lieutenant from the 10th division, whose name Rukia couldn't quite remember. The elder Kuchiki lady had probably been very beautiful when younger.

Rukia turned back to the matter at hand. It would be impossible to try many, as the ritual of dressing up in a kimono was too complicated and long in itself, even with the help of others.

"Kuchiki Rukia-sama." A woman was standing by the door with the girl that had guided Rukia some minutes ago. "We are here to help you dress up, so you can try as many as you see fit." The woman answered, as if she could read Rukia's mind. They were dressed in a similar brown kimono, and their resemblance hinted at a close relation.

Rukia nodded, feeling a little lost. Even with their help, it would take too long to try all of these. She would have to analyze first and select the few she liked most.

She started looking at the kimonos. The first thing she noticed was that they were in pairs, one of them entirely white, a shiromuku, and the other a colorful one, a uchikake. Rukia didn't know much about noble weddings (or weddings at all), but it seemed that, obviously, the Kuchiki ladies followed the tradition of wearing an entirely white kimono for the Shinto ceremony and the ornamented, colorful kimono over it for the reception.

It would be a double choice then. Could she mix different pairs? Or would it be offensive, since they were perfectly matched already? She decided to start searching for the uchikake first. They were of different colors, but red and orange were definitely the majority. She knew the reason: the color meant happiness and good fortune for the wedding. But the options were endless. The array of colors dazzled her and she could only be gratefully that the maids were helping her, pulling them off, showing the details, and separating the ones she had found more beautiful. It made choosing something infinitely easier.

The maids buzzed around her expertly, almost unnervingly so, successively removing her old clothes and dressing her up in the kimono of her choice. Rukia watched her image in the large mirror before her. It took only a few moments of detached contemplation, for Rukia to finally realize the purpose of all this.

One of these outfits was going to be her wedding kimono.

She was going to marry. To marry _him_.

She imagined the scene - herself, wearing the formal clothing for such occasions, entering the temple… where he would be waiting for her. A ceremony would take place…

Until now, the marriage had only been an idea for her. Now, it finally, for the first time, felt like reality. And it was a little... frightening.

She felt the blood rush from her face, and felt slightly dizzy, as if she could faint at any moment. Maybe it was the tightness of the kimono? She looked for something to hold on to. The older woman must have noticed her paleness for she asked, her eyes showing concern:

"Rukia-sama? Is everything alright?"

Rukia breathed deeply a few times, in hope to get better. "Yes, I'm fine."

"What are you names?" she asked, trying to change the subject in her mind, to grasp a sense of normalcy. Both women seemed startled at her question.

"My name is Fumiko, and this is my daughter Mieko. Rukia-sama must have seen her already."

Rukia nodded. "Nice to meet you." She smiled briefly and responded: "I feel better now."

The woman seemed very confused at her eccentric behavior, but resumed her work. Most likely thinking that all rich people were this strange…

Rukia gazed at the beautiful green uchikake she was wearing over a rich gold-embroidered shiromuku for some seconds, and tried to avoid the images passing through her head…with little success. "Please take it off me." The woman and the girl complied efficiently and silently.

Free of it, Rukia started looking at the kimonos again. And soon, the feeling of being a bride was sinking into her mind, even with the uncertainty she felt as she tried to imagine her fiancée in the scenes. She decided it shouldn't matter the conditions of her marriage. It was her wedding, probably the only one she would ever experience in her life, and she wanted to give herself at least this pleasure – she wanted to find _the_ kimono, something really special… even if only for herself.

It proved to be a harder task than she anticipated. They were all extremely gorgeous, that was for sure, but not quite… quite what she wanted. Hours were spent contemplating different models, colors and she was almost close to giving up by the end of the day. But the prospect of spending the next following days with a sewer, with absolutely no idea what he should work on in the first place was disheartening.

It was after a dejected sigh that she spotted a kimono she hadn't seen before, hidden by others, in the corner of the row. The first thing that got her attention was the color – even though it was red, like many others, it was not a light red, it did not have the orange shade that most did. It was of a much darker red, closer to that of blood, very vivid. The texture was rich, a type of fabric that created a small reflection of light, which gave it a delicate glow.

She gazed at it with a keen eye, observing all the little details – it didn't have the usual pattern of cranes, bamboo or chrysanthemums. It had some details in black and a discreet pattern of small black branches and white sakura on its obi. The garments that accompanied it were all encrusted with rubies. It was definitely the most beautiful kimono Rukia had ever seen in her life. Even in the Kuchiki mansion…

She had yet to try it on, but it seemed she had found a winner. Now she just needed to find an equally beautiful shiromuku to use with it. She decided to look at the one accompanying it, for a start.

Rukia was surprised as she looked at the white kimono under it. It was the most pure tone of white, like fresh snow, made of the most delicate silk, with silver strands entranced on it, giving it a glittery effect. The silver strands would form small figures, which she first took for snowflakes, but then identified as cherry blossom petals.

"I would like to try this one," Rukia asked, and the other two smiled and started their work.

The young bride looked expectantly as it was efficiently put over her body, and they helped her move to the mirror, where she could finally contemplate it.

It was… perfect.

"It doesn't seem to need any adjustments, Rukia-sama" Fumiko observed.

"Ah, that one," Michiko-sama had returned, startling Rukia a little with her words. She was eyeing Rukia approvingly. "Noriko-dono was absolutely stunning on it." She added, lost in though.

"N-Noriko-sama? It was… nii—uhn- Byakuya-sama's mother wedding kimono?" Rukia asked, blinking.

"Yes, I remember as if it was yesterday. I am sure she got my brother's heart that day," she cackled.

Rukia tried to hide the reddish color on her cheeks. That was not her intention! She just liked the kimono very much… Rukia looked at her image in the mirror again reluctantly, trying to decide if that was a good idea. It didn't seem so…

Michiko seemed to notice her reluctance, for she added:

"The color suits you." She opined, quickly continuing. "You two share some features, you know?" The old woman added pensively. "She had dark black hair too, and very fair skin like yours… Well it is not so hard to imagine, Byakuya-sama inherited her looks, much more than my brother's. And you both could pass as actual siblings." She smirked.

Yes, it definitely looked good on her. Rukia found she would be sad if she didn't get to use it.

"Michiko-sama… do you think it would be inappropriate for me to wear it? I… really like it."

"Who ever knows with Byakuya-sama? But, well, it is usually considered a homage, to use the mother's wedding attire, is it not?"

"I… think so." Rukia agreed. She looked at the mirror again… and smiled.

#####

The young man slapped his fist on the table, as if it could ease his displeasure - his anger was too great to be contained.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked.

"You were out the whole day yesterday."

"How was I to imagine the stupid bitch would… we cannot count on people's good sense, it seems."

"I was surprised myself. Apparently we can't."

"I should have forced her or something when I had the chance… or the time." He added in fury.

A condescending gaze directed at him told him that was not a good idea.

"Now there is no other way!" He continued in a low hiss.

"There is always another way, son, there is always another way… in fact, I came up with one already...

The fury in the young man's eyes was replaced with a hint of curiosity.

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My chapters always end up a little bigger than I expected in this story. ^^' Oh, and I know you probably missed Bya-kun in this chapter, I'm sorry, but this was getting too big and I decided to push the rest to chapter 8! At least we're quite close to the wedding now. I know you all want to see it, and I definitely want to write it too! So stay tuned! lol

Ja ne!


	8. Chapter 8

Just as a quick reminder for you all (chapter 1 seems so long ago!), this story happens some time after Kaien's death, therefore, some years before the series, so Renji is still under 5th division (soon to be transferred to 11th) and doesn't have much contact with Byakuya, except for stalking him in hope to surpass him and be able to "get Rukia back", as he stated in canon. I'm also assuming he is a seated officer in the 5th, since he was always on first class and didn't take long to develop his shikai and be promoted to lieutenant along with Kira and Momo.

Also, sorry for the delay on this chapter, as you probably know log in was down since friday/saturday and I couldn't post it.

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_Japanese costumes/words used:_

_Wagashi: is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits._

_Iadakimasu: Meals in Japan traditionally begin with the phrase itadakimasu (literally, "I receive"), it is good manners to say so before starting to eat_.

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The day was cloudy and considerably colder when Rukia woke up, feeling rested and awake. She noticed it was still early, the same time she used to wake up to go to work everyday. Even though she had been dismissed from her duties, the young shinigami decided to get ready and head to the Thirteenth Division quarters anyway. Hopefully she would finally be able to talk to her captain before anything showed up to spoil it.

After a quick bath, she headed to the dining room. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the figure of her brother – now fiancée – in his usual place. Of course he would be there. Breakfast was always served at the scheduled time in the Kuchiki mansion and, had she been paying attention, she would have felt his reiatsu even before entering the room.

"Good morning… Byakuya-sama."

'I finally got it right!' Rukia gloated, mentally patting herself in the back. She was in a fairly good mood that morning, even if her brother's presence intimidated her a little. Walking past him, she assumed her usual seat on the table.

"Good morning," He answered without raising his eyes.

The servants started to bring the usual food: grilled fish, rice, rolled omelet, pickles, dried seaweed, natto, salad and miso soup. Rukia murmured a quick "Itadakimasu" and proceeded to join her brother on their meal without as much as a sound, as was their usual routine.

Her eyes would eventually stray and search for his, but her brother was always looking away, apparently too concentrated on whatever it was that he was thinking while eating his meal. She felt a small disappointment at this.

Well, if he wouldn't look at her, at least Rukia was free to stare at him all she wanted, she concluded defiantly. The thought amused her briefly.

He was, indeed, very handsome, she conceded, contemplating his calm, serene figure and remembering everyone's opinion on how lucky she was for being in her position. Rukia looked at his lips touching delicately the tea cup, and involuntarily wondered how they would feel… if they were soft as they seemed... if they would…

'Wait, argh, stop it, Rukia!' She felt like slapping herself. It was completely improper and pointless to indulge in those kinds of thought.

Her mental reproach was interrupted when a servant brought another plate and put it in front of her.

"Wagashi?" She questioned. Why were they serving her candies at that hour?

"Byakuya-sama asked our new cook to make them for Rukia-sama," the man explained, excusing himself and leaving both of them alone again.

He had ordered wagashi for her? She looked bewildered at the plate full of candies – they were her favorites. How did he know? Her eyes searched for her brother, looking at him questioningly.

"I have heard you nearly fainted yesterday. Please make sure you are well-fed." He explained in his so typically laconic way.

Rukia remembered the incident while she was trying the kimonos and the reason for her fainting.

"That's an exaggeration. It was nothing." She justified herself, embarrassedly.

He laid a scrutinizing gaze on her, as if inspecting some sort of merchandise, and she found herself too self-conscious and flushing crimson.

"It won't do to do have you fainting at the wedding, Rukia," he warned her, probably concluding that she was even thinner than the usual. Rukia remembered that she had, indeed, skipped some meals lately.

"Hai… Byakuya-sama."

She tried to obediently eat all her meal, _and_ the wagashi he had ordered for her.

*****

Before she could leave the house, however, she was dragged into more marriage arrangements. Rukia cursed her bad luck. She looked desperately at her brother for help, but he made no motion nor came to her aid in any way.

Many of the suppliers had scheduled a second meeting for updates on their responsibilities, final questions and adjustments that took all day long once more. Michiko-sama participated in all of them, making it harder for her to vent all her frustration or run away. It was almost night when they released her and, her prior good mood gone, Rukia went to bed extremely irritated that day.

*****

Wednesday was a matter of honor. She hadn't worked in two days and she wanted to make sure everything was fine with her captain, even after Sentaro's and her brother's words. Also, she intended to invite Ukitake-taichou and it wouldn't do to invite someone too close to an event, it would be considered impolite. It was actually something she should have done right away.

Leaving early, Rukia crossed the Kuchiki Estate grounds quickly, happy to be finally free. Maybe this time she would be able to talk to Ukitake-taichou at last.

She had barely managed to set foot outside the mansion gates, however, when the wind suddenly picked up and a familiar silhouette blurred in front of her, blocking her way. Before her eyes could focus on his face, the bright red hair denounced easily that the figure in front of her was Renji. She was happy to see him, but as far as her observational skills went, the feeling wasn't mutual. Instead, Renji seemed to be glaring at her, displeasure written in his narrowed eyes.

"Renji…" she tried to begin a conversation, knowing that whatever came now wouldn't be pretty.

"Were you planning on telling me anytime soon, Rukia? Maybe after your honeymoon, when you found some time?"

"I-"

"'Cause I'll tell you, the whole Seireitei was gossiping about it before I could listen it from your own lips!"

"S-Sorry, Renji, it was all decided very fast! I-I am still dizzy with it all. I haven't had any free time to--"

"When was it?" He asked accusingly. "Cause the first time I've heard about it was on Sunday. Three days were not enough for you to find some time to communicate me?"

Rukia gulped. "Really Renji, I haven't had _any_ time even to--"

"I couldn't even believe this stupid story until I was ordered to take _this_ to Aizen-taichou." He lifted a hand, dangling in front of her face what looked like an expensive missive made of white and gold.

She didn't need to ask what it was. _Shit_. They had probably invited the noble houses and the Gotei captains for the reception already. She had not been consulted about guests.

Rukia looked in his eyes, feeling guilty and not really knowing what to say anymore. Renji took the initiative rather crassly:

"Were you having an affair with him all this time?"

The light in his eyes was murderous now.

"No! Renji, of course not! How could you even think that?!" She asked, outraged. "I don't even want to marry him!"

She wasn't entirely sure if that was true. But it wasn't her idea, that's for sure.

"He's forcing you? I'm gonna kill him!"

"No! It's not like that! He doesn't want it either!" the girl tried to explain.

"Then why the hell are you marrying your brother?!" He yelled, emphasizing the last word, in hopes that he could to wake her up to the absurdity of it all.

Rukia turned her gaze to the horizon, in silence, and then turned back to him.

"It's not easy to explain. Renji, I have duties… as a noble. Nobles marry by convenience, you know. And the elders felt the clan was in need of heirs, so I had a marriage set for me by them with someone I can't stand, and I couldn't accept it. Then Byakuya-nii-sama offered this as a way to escape it. But please don't tell anyone."

"Please don't tell anyone? Are you telling me you have been forced to marry and you're still worried about protecting your stupid family? What the hell happened to you? How can you accept all this so calmly?!"

"Renji, I'm not accepting it calm--!"

"The fuck you aren't! I'm sick of this, what have they done to you?! Ever since you became a noble, you're another person! I don't care if you want to act all cold and collected, and all that Kuchiki bullshit, but what the hell happened to your strength, your will? Did this noble crap eat your fucking brain?"

"That's not—"

"Ever since you became a noble, I see you less and less! Hell, I see your Kuchiki brother more than you! I understand that you're a noble now, I really do, but why didn't you come to me with something as serious as this?"

He drew in a deep breath, still frowning, and then shook his head indignantly and continued roughly.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Did they brainwash you or something? Why the hell are you accepting this? What are you, their stupid fucking sheep? Their breeding cattle?"

"Stop it! Don't you dare insult me, Renji!" She yelled louder, her finger pointing at him.

It was an understatement to say that Rukia was anywhere near furious. She was downright livid.

The girl was trembling with barely suppressed rage, "How dare you say this to me, when you are one of the reasons why I am in this situation in the first place? Should I have come to you? Should I? The last time I came to you with this kind of problem, what did you say? How Oh-My-God utterly wonderful would be to be a noble! How I should totally go for it without thinking twice! You pushed me into their arms and turned your back on me! How dare you accuse me now that I'm paying the price, when you were the main reason I said yes to this?!"

*****

Renji stared at her speechlessly for a moment, too surprised to even form a coherent thought on his mind. Was that how she saw it? That he'd pushed her into their arms, that he'd given up on her? Anger surged back in his veins and he felt the corners of mouth curving down on a furious snarl:

"I thought it would be the best for you! I tried to give you the chance of being someone special! You were mediocre at the academy and I didn't want you to be left behind!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he had gone too far. Rukia's anger took a whole new proportion, and hurt tinged her eyes.

"Maybe I wasn't in there to become the best!" Rukia shouted at him, her eyes with a strange glister to them. Renji was nearly sure they were tears. "Maybe I was there to be with the only person I had in my life and to get away from all the death and misery I grew up with! But you!" She pointed her finger right at his face, accusingly. "You were too busy trying to prove to everyone that you were as good as them! That you were better than them!"

Renji opened his mouth to retort, trying to find a comeback to the blatant truth spat in his face. Yes, he was trying his best! He wanted a good future for them! He'd given up everything - well, the little he had - so she could become a noble, to ensure she would be happy. Damn, even now he was doing his best to be worthy of her again and that was how she saw it?! That he abandoned her?!

"Why," a smooth voice intoned from his right, "are you disturbing my fiancée?"

Renji turned around with a start, hand automatically going for Zabimaru. He met Kuchiki Byakuya's stone cold face staring at him impassively.

"Byakuya… -sama," Rukia whispered, surprised. Her voice caught on her throat for a very short second, and Renji was sure he had made her very, very sad. The Gotei captain walked past him without as much as another stare, positioning himself before Rukia like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Renji observed while the captain turned his face down, studying Rukia's face for a moment.

"Leave us," Byakuya commanded without turning to face him.

Renji ignored his order, intently studying the two nobles. Rukia's shoulders had slumped a bit, as if relaxing, and she made no move to back away from Kuchiki-taichou's scrutiny. The man, in turn, was perfectly positioned to protect the smaller girl, standing right between the two of them. Both seemed comfortable and at home standing so close to each other.

"I will only ask you one more time," Byakuya said, steel in his voice. "Leave."

Renji felt a strong pressure forcing him away and immediately recognized it as Kuchiki's reiatsu. It was the same strong presence that had paralyzed him all those years ago, when Rukia had been taken from him. He felt his own reiatsu raising slightly in response, but held himself in check. He looked at his old friend, noticing that her gaze was still fixed on the man in front of her. Suddenly Renji felt his anger giving away to a deep seated sadness.

There was no reason to fight because there was no prize to be won. He'd lost that battle long ago.

"My compliments on your marriage, Kuchiki-taichou," Renji said, bowing slightly. He fought down the feelings that battled within his chest, keeping his face composed. "I'm afraid the 5th Division will be unable to attend to the celebration as none of the sitting officers are available at the date."

Without another word, he turned around and walked away.

When he was sure no one could see him, after the Kuchiki estate was far behind him, he allowed his features to twist into a grimace.

*****

Rukia tried to compose herself after Byakuya left in silence. She wiped the tears that she was holding in her eyes and breathed deeply. What had he heard of the whole conversation? Certainly they got his attention as she and Renji had started to yell at each other in front of the Kuchiki gates. She felt ashamed at herself. That behavior was certainly a shameful one in her brother's eyes and yet another regretful moment he'd had to endure for her. For his promise.

It seemed her fate was to be a burden to everyone, to her brother, to Renji. At the memory of her friend, Rukia felt a hurtful sting in her heart, his cold last words engraved in her memory. She hadn't even told him that she might not go back to her division anymore… not that he would actually care, the way things were.

Rukia started heading to her division slowly, with absolutely no hurry – she needed some time so that the pain in her heart would go away or subside enough so she could be herself again and talk to her captain in a proper way.

She could partially understand Renji's anger at her – it was true that she hadn't thought about talking to him yet, and it was a bad thing that he had heard it from others. She should have heard it when Byakuya warned her about the gossiping, but she could not have imagined how fast things were going to spread. Yet, she hadn't thought about invitations before – that had definitely been a mistake – and now she wasn't even sure if she was allowed to invite anyone. With the way they treated it, it didn't seem so. How could she explain to Renji that she was a stranger at her own wedding? That, apart from the kimono, she had not really chosen anything, not even the groom or the wedding itself?

Yet, he felt betrayed, Rukia could see it now, and it was understandable. He clearly couldn't comprehend how her life was like. He had become a shinigami on his own, because he was good enough to earn it. He was a seated officer now for the same reason.

But she, what did she have? As much as Rukia loved being a Shinigami, she couldn't deny the fact that she had only been accepted as one because she was a noble. They had graduated her immediately from the academy and guaranteed her a place in the Gotei 13. She didn't even know if she would have been accepted, had they not done so. Also, she knew her life would be bound by rules as soon as she signed the adoption papers - they had made that clear to her then. No one was fooled in the deal; she was only honoring her word now.

How could she say no to them, and expect things to be the same? And even if she were to run away from it, where could she go?

"Isn't it incest?" she heard a female voice hissing as she passed through some corridor, interrupting her thoughts.

"No, she isn't really his sister. She wasn't even a noble, she was adopted." Another woman's voice answered.

Rukia slowed her steps so she could hear the conversation of which she was obviously the subject.

"He adopted her just to marry her later? How despicable." A third female voice opined.

Rukia didn't recognize any of the voices.

"Who knows? I've heard she looks just like his old wife." The second person replied.

The third voice commented: "These nobles do whatever they want."

After a pause, she heard the first voice suggesting:

"Or maybe she was the one who used her resemblance to lure him."

'What an absurdity!' Rukia thought indignantly.

"That is very likely; I've heard someone else wondering that too. Who wouldn't want to marry a man like him? She must have used the opportunity," the second voice replied venomously.

Rukia didn't want to hear it any longer, and hushed her steps.

'_This won't be a secret for too long, so I advice you to stay at home_.' Her brother's warning echoed in her head. She remembered Renji's words, Sentaro's and Kiyone's words… had she become Seireitei's favorite gossip topic? An uncomfortable feeling surged in her stomach.

*****

It was with a weighted heart and a nauseated stomach that Rukia spotted the familiar grounds of her division. She quickly headed to her captain's room. The door was opened and she saw him on his desk, looking particularly healthy that day. He raised his head, indicating he had noticed her presence as well.

"Oi, Kuchiki! I was expecting your visit, please come inside," Ukitake motioned, offering her a seat.

She entered and closed the door, taking the seat. It was only at that moment that she noticed she didn't know exactly what to say to him or how to start.

Ukitake-taichou was the first to comment:

"Sentaro told me you passed by on Monday, but I wasn't here. I'm sorry I was not the one to give you the news." He paused briefly. "You didn't know, did you?" He asked.

"No. It was a surprise to me," Rukia answered truthfully. If there was one person she felt she could be truthful with, that person was her captain. Ukitake-taichou's gentleness inspired that kind of feeling on everyone.

"I should have guessed your brother wouldn't tell you." He said, sounding slightly pensive. Byakuya had that bad habit, he thought to himself.

"So he was the one you were to marry, uhn? Byakuya." Ukitake added, still lost in thought. "I wonder why he didn't tell me himself."

"He came to you on Sunday, wasn't it?" Rukia asked, remembering her conversation with her brother. "He didn't know it back then. I was to marry another person."

Ukitake looked at her curiously.

"I was given the option of marrying him instead." She continued.

"I see," her captain said, examining her. "And you don't seem too happy about it either." He pointed calmly.

Rukia was caught in surprise by his comment. "N-No, that's not-- I mean… nii-sama is a most honorable man, whom I—"

"Don't give me your prepared answer, Kuchiki," Ukitake reproached her. Damn that man, he could read her so easily!

"I-I'm sorry. I… I am having a horrible day," she confessed, feeling the tears rising in her eyes again. She breathed deeply, trying to compose herself and avoiding them to surface.

Ukitake-taichou was looking at her, waiting for an explanation.

"I just had a fight with Abarai Renji… he's a childhood friend of mine--"

"I know Abarai-kun, from the 5th division."

"Yes, and in the way… it seems I'm everyone's favorite gossip topic."

Rukia sighed.

"Rukia-san."

She started at the sound of her given name, used for the first time by her captain. She fixed her eyes on him - He had a kind, meaningful look on his face.

"I want you to know that, if you ever need a place to stay, you have the Thirteenth Division quarters."

She knew what he was implying. He was offering her a roof. She would have where to go if she wanted to run away, if she wanted to give up on being a noble and the burdens that came with it. It was all she had wanted to hear a couple of days ago.

But it wasn't that easy, was it? She would shame the Kuchiki name in the process, especially at this point, everything ready, everyone invited. She would spit on her brother's kindness and generosity and all he did for her. And after all, had he not adopted her, she wouldn't even be in the thirteenth division in the first place. That was something Rukia could never forget. She would not even be a shinigami, they had given her even _that_. Running away from her duties and still staying as a shinigami would not be honorable. She was in debt to them, to him.

"I appreciate your offer, Ukitake-taichou, but please don't offend my honor. I was never one to run away from my responsibilities.

Ukitake only watched her closely, his eyes showing both sadness and pride.

"I don't know if you received the invitation already or not, but… I came here because I wanted to invite you personally. It would mean a lot to me if Ukitake-taichou could attend the wedding." She said, bowing lightly.

Her captain smiled faintly down at her.

"I will… Kuchiki."

..

.

* * *

Next chapter: it's 50% ready and - omg wedding day! I admit I'm a little anxious – I had at least 3 ideas for the wedding and 3 for the nuptial night which means 9 different fics! But I can only write one, it's so sad! -_-

I'll stick to my original idea because I hate it when authors change their mind in the middle of a story (and I hope Mr. Kubo is not doing that with all this Orihime bs, cause Rukia is my favorite character! I'm missing more Rukia scenes and I hate ichihime ¬¬). Anyways… yeah, decisions will be made, probably some of you will like it, some won't but well, such is life, right?

Love you all, please let me know your thoughts on my story, what you like or not, what you'd like to see, or drop by my livejournal (winn-12. com) to comment my silly ramblings on my fics and this pairing or to share some byaruki good stuff (it's always welcome!).

See ya!


	9. Chapter 9

Here is chapter 9 - if you didn't notice, the chapters are growing and now they are twice the size they were in the beginning, so yeah, they're taking twice the time to write...

I admit I got a little disappointed and dismotivated by the lack of reviews, kinda feels like I'm talking to the walls here, or doing something wrong. So if you're reading this and want me to continue writing it, plz _review_, let me know you're there. It's not so much to ask, is it? It really helps me out here.

Sorry for the emo comment, but it's been a tough, tough _tough _week here. =(((((

* * *

_Japanese costumes/words mentioned:_

_*For Japanese people and in many other asian cultures, unlike in the western world, white is the color of death, not black. The color means the beginning of a journey, so it is mainly used in funerals._

_*onsen = Japanese hot spring. _

_*ofuro = traditional Japanese bath, taken in a typically steep-sided wooden bathtub. It is usually made for relaxing and the water is very hot. Bathing is something really dear to japanese people, therefore its many forms and rituals mentioned here._

_* kanzashi = any type of Japanese hair ornament, but in this case I'm referring to the **Bira bira** one also called **Fluttering** or **Dangling style**, "composed of metal strips attached by rings to the body of the ornament so that they move independently, pleasantly tinkling (which is sometimes accentuated by additional bells) or long chains of flowers"._

* * *

.

..

Rukia walked anxiously through the Kuchiki halls, heading to a particular place of the Kuchiki castle: the library.

The Kuchiki clan had always carried the duty of maintaining the knowledge of the past. Being the oldest noble family, they were the keepers of history, and their library was known as the biggest in all of Seireitei.

The young shinigami paused, staring at the big wooden door in front of her, then opened it slowly, the cracking noise echoing in the silence. She laid her gaze contemplatively on the endless lines of bookshelves and hoped it wouldn't be too hard to find what she was looking for.

She was feeling rather tense that, even with all the preparatives, no one had bothered to tell her exactly what was going to happen in the wedding, what she was expected to do or say. Maybe she was supposed to have at least an idea of the ritual itself, but the truth was Rukia had always excused herself from ceremonies in which she was certainly not welcomed, therefore missing all the weddings she had been invited for since she joined the Kuchiki family. She had obviously not attended any weddings before that either – a wedding had been a very distant and alien concept back in her Rukongai days.

Rukia wasn't too fond of the idea of showing her ignorance on the topic – that was bound to incite comments on her lack of attendance in social events, if she tried Michiko-sama or any other family member. As for the servants, they probably didn't know enough about it. Noble weddings might have peculiarities and they were probably not allowed to attend such important events. She could ask Byakuya, but it would feel too awkward to have this conversation with him – she wanted to avoid talking to her brother about the marriage as much as she could.

With these thoughts in mind, she headed for the section where she could probably find something related to the topic and started her search.

It didn't take long for her to find some books about the Shinto wedding ceremony. She pulled one that looked promising and opened a random page in the beginning.

It had pictures of the wedding attires and an explanation of their meanings. It seemed very detailed, she noticed, looking at the following page.

Rukia flip through the pages, halting in one further ahead. It was the beginning of a new chapter, called "The san-san-kudo".

'Three-three-nine-times,' she wondered at its meaning. It seemed to have a good, detailed description of the proceedings.

That was exactly what she needed, she concluded, moving towards the entrance of the room with the book in her hands.

*****

They had left her particularly alone that day, and it felt strange having some time for her own.

'Well, the wedding is tomorrow, everything should be ready,' Rukia concluded. However, maybe having something to do would distract her mind from the cold feeling on her stomach whenever she thought about the event. It would be good to have something to keep her mind busy, and the book in her hands wasn't exactly helping much. Yet, it was a piece of knowledge she needed, and she didn't have much time, so Rukia continued reading it, trying to assimilate the information as detachedly as possible.

'The Shiromuku is purely white, symbolizing the bride's purity and her willingness to accept what is expected of her by her husband and her new family. Also, being in the color of death, it symbolizes the death of the maiden, and its replacement with the colorful uchikake represents her rebirth as a wife after the ceremony.'

The words made her feel uncomfortable. Rukia stared frightfully at the book – it was not a pleasant reading as far as she was concerned.

But all that didn't apply to her, right? No. It didn't-_couldn't _apply to her. Her wedding was a lie, and there would be no deaths for any maidens…

Trying not to give the subject any further thought, she moved on through the chapters. It was much later when she finally managed to fall asleep with the book in her hand, her mind abuzz with troubling thoughts.

*****

Rukia looked around. She was in an unknown place, consisting of endless swampy, very muddy plains. There were bodies around her, their blood staining the ground, saturating the air with a metallic, sickly scent, indicating the place had been a battlefield some time ago…perhaps not too long, as the blood was still fresh.

She was feeling tired, but glad – she had survived. The danger was gone, and her zanpakutou could rest peacefully in its sheath. She felt the wind stirring her long hair, making it touch her waist and elbows lightly.

In the absolute silence of a cloudy day, she turned around to see the only person close to her. She knew he was there, she could feel his reiatsu, warm and comforting, even without turning back. They were completely alone, as if they were the only two people left in the world. Maybe they were?

'Kaien-dono'. He seemed tired, and had a few scratches but in overall he seemed well and alive. She smiled at him.

"Miyako! Are you fine?" He asked, his eyes full of concern, touching her face.

"Yes," she replied with a smile, covering his hand with hers tenderly.

"It's finally over," he observed with a smile.

Rukia looked around once more, noticing the stillness of the place.

"Yes," she nodded.

"We can finally marry now," he reminded her with a smirk, a spark of something in his sea-colored eyes.

She was startled by his words.

"You said you would marry me when it was over," he pointed out.

She simply nodded. Yet, she had to add:

"Kaien-dono… we are alone now. There is no one anymore, no priests, no temple, no one."

"I know. But does it matter? Why do you need a temple, a priest or witnesses? All we need are our hearts, here and now. I love you… don't you love me too?" He asked.

She loved him so very much, she concluded, looking at his cheerful green eyes. She smiled shyly.

"Yes."

"Then marry me. Marry me now, Miyako." He offered her his hand.

She looked down and noticed they both were wearing richly embroidered kimonos, the tip of hers touching the mud.

Yes, she loved him. That was what mattered, right?

And with certainty and decision in her heart, she took his hand.

With the touch of his hand, the world surrounding her started to change, and she was suddenly in the Kuchiki temple, holding Byakuya's hand. He delicately put a ring on her finger – a western custom their people had adopted some time ago - and looked deeply into her eyes. He had a most loving gaze on her, as if he was looking at his most precious treasure. With a hint of adoration, he placed a soft kiss on the hand with the ring.

They were now husband and wife, and it couldn't feel more… _right_. She walked outside the temple with her arm around his and he stopped to look at her. He was smiling and she had never seen him happier ever in her life. She smiled back at him but her smile faded slowly as she noticed him leaning towards her. His lips touched hers delicately in a loving kiss and she melted into it naturally.

It was dark and she knew they were alone in the privacy of his bedroom when the kiss became more passionate. Slowly she felt a growing, irresistible urge to approach him, to feel his skin, to be one with him… to gladly offer her body as a token of her love.

He laid her delicately on his bed – their bed – and kissed her again. She could feel the weight of his body over hers, comfortable, solid, warm, as he slowly opened her yukata, sliding it over her shoulders, and kissing the exposed skin.

She heard his whispered voice in the dark:

"I love you so much… Hisana."

*****

Rukia woke up in the dim light of her room. She put the book on her lap in her bedside table and sat on her bed, laying her gaze on the wall, her eyes unfocused.

There was an enormous weight on her chest as the memories of her very vivid dream struck her in reality. She felt her eyes getting full of tears that she didn't want to let fall.

It wasn't hard to understand her dream. Even though she had avoided the uncomfortable thought the whole week, the damn dream had to shove right in her face how really bad her situation was. Just now that she had accepted it, just now that she had convinced herself that it was her duty and that it wasn't so bad after all. Just now that she had concluded she wouldn't really lose all that much…

Now, as much as she tried, it would be impossible to ignore what she was really losing in some hours – the chance of a happy marriage, one based on love. A chance to love and be loved. And it hurt – _hurt_ - and soon she couldn't hold her tears any longer. She hugged herself and laid back on her bed, trying to go back to sleep.

After some time of soundless crying, sleep won her over.

*****

The pale sunshine that flitted through her window denounced it was already late when Rukia woke up again, with a knock on her door.

"Kuchiki Rukia-sama?" she heard a young voice that she recognized as her maid, Mieko.

"Yes?" Rukia answered, dazed.

"Excuse me, but it is quite late already. Would you like your meal to be served here?"

"Uh yes," she agreed, still disoriented.

Rukia sat on her bed and kept staring blankly at the wall until Mieko and two other maids entered bringing her meal in silver trays.

"Excuse me," they said. "Good morning Kuchiki Rukia-sama," bright smiles accompanied the words.

They deposited the tray in her bed, and one of them fixed her pillows so she could lay comfortably while eating, while the other quickly opened her window, to let in some fresh air in.

Mieko said with a smile:

"I will prepare the bath so Rukia-sama can relax herself before the preparations."

Rukia knew they had good intentions but the treatment was enough to remind her of what day it was: her wedding day.

The girl looked at the food in front of her, feeling suddenly nauseated. Even with some effort on her part, all she could manage were a few bites and a sip of hot tea.

"I'd rather take my bath now, if it's possible," she informed Mieko, who was just coming out of her bathroom.

"As Rukia-sama wishes," she simply answered, taking a different kimono from the wardrobe and dressing Rukia expertly. "Please follow me."

"But aren't I… ?" Rukia asked confused, as the girl intended to take her somewhere else, instead of her bathroom.

"Rukia-sama, it is your wedding day!" the girl informed her with a smile. "I prepared you a sake bath in the bathing house."

"Ah," was all Rukia could muster. She had never been to the Kuchiki hot springs nor its adjacent buildings.

It didn't take long until they arrived in the bathing house and Mieko took her to a private room there. Rukia felt a little ashamed that she wasn't so sure how things should be done, but her maid came to her aid:

"In this first bath you have aromatized salts, for exfoliation," she explained, taking off Rukia's kimono. The embarrassed bride moved to the bathtub and immersed herself in the water.

"May I do it for you, Rukia-sama?" the girl solemnly asked.

Rukia simply nodded, watching Mieko take a handful of the aromatized salt and start scrubbing her back and arms.

"They will clean your skin and spirit." The girl explained, without stopping the ritual, rubbing Rukia's skin delicately. Rukia decided that, now that she was relaxing and getting less embarrassed, it felt good. She helped the girl, rubbing some of the soupy salt over her body too.

Mieko proceeded to wash her hair, and then rinsed her completely. The girl took her to a second bathtub.

"Now we will move for the sake bath. They say the sake makes the skin smooth and shiny, it will enhance Rukia-sama's beauty," she explained with a smile. "Please, just relax there for a while. I will come back in a few moments. Is there anything else Rukia-sama needs?"

Rukia entered the second bathtub. "No, thank you, Mieko."

The girl seemed a little startled that her mistress had remembered her name, but simply bowed and moved away.

*****

Rukia sighed in the silence of the room. The smell of sake was too strong and, in addition to the warmness and fog of the room, it made her feel a little dizzy. She wasn't used to sake at all.

She didn't mind the bathing ritual, though. It was actually quite invigorating, and in her shinigami days she certainly had not indulged in such pleasant activities as much as she could – or was expected, especially being part of nobility. She wondered if Byakuya did. It seemed so unlike him.

The memory of him reminded her that all this, even if pleasurable, was also quite useless – no one would be feeling how smooth her skin got or not, and the realization that this was a reason for disappointment bothered her endlessly. Why should she be disappointed or bothered?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the noise of someone opening the door. She looked at the person entering, expecting it to be Mieko, but was met with the figure of a man instead.

With a yelp, she covered herself (or what she could) with her arms and dove deeper into the bathtub.

"Eisei-dono!"

The man looked at her through the mist of the bathroom and replied mildly surprised:

"Rukia-dono," he turned his back to her. "I am deeply sorry. I should have known you would be here. My apologies."

"It's… ok," she replied, too surprised and ashamed to say anything more elaborate. The girl hoped he hadn't seen much. "My maid forgot to lock the door," she said, excusing him.

"It is hard to find good maids nowadays, isn't it?" he pointed out snobbishly.

She didn't want to engage in idle chattering, or to say anything bad about Mieko, which she definitely didn't blame, so she remained silent.

"Well, I'll leave you to your beauty ritual. See you later, Rukia-dono." He said, turning back to her before closing the door.

His footsteps became fainter and fainter and only a good minute or so after silence had fallen around her, did Rukia dare to lower her arms again. Even then, she was almost half afraid that he would suddenly shunpo back into the room and scare her witless…

What had he seen? Oh God, it was better not to think about it. How improper. In such a tense and embarrassing day, that was something she definitely could have passed without.

*****

A few minutes later, Mieko came back.

"Rukia-sama, did you enjoy the sake bath?" the girl asked smiling, unaware of what had happened while she was away.

Rukia simply nodded in reply, mirroring the smile with a faint one of her own.

"Now please follow me," she offered a hand, helping Rukia to stand up. She wrapped Rukia in a soft towel and in a comfortable kimono shortly after, guiding her back to her room.

"Your ofuro* is prepared," Mieko informed her, helping her inside. "I used roses, chrysanthemums and sandalwood essence."

Rukia looked at the ofuro full of petals and dove in, marveling at the wonderful smell and the warmness of it.

"Rukia-sama will be very beautiful in her wedding," the girl commented, satisfied with her work. "And I'm sure Byakuya-sama will appreciate the scent," she added shyly.

Rukia gasped.

That-that was not her intention at all! What kind of comment was that? Rukia felt herself flushing and looked at Mieko, then away, trying to not to blush at what she was implying.

"My mom served his past wife, in her last three years," the girl confided, hoping her comment hadn't offended her lady.

Rukia wondered about the girl's words. Did that mean she actually _knew_ he would like it? God, she didn't want anything that would remind him of her sister at all. That would be completely inappropriate!

"Mieko, I--" Rukia intended to explain, but decided against it. She couldn't let anyone know about her deal with her brother, that they were not really going to be husband and wife privately. If it got to the elder's ears, things could get really bad for her, and for him.

The girl was looking at her expectantly.

"Nevermind," Rukia dismissed, relaxing in the bathtub. It was not like he would get close enough to feel it anyways.

*****

Time was passing really fast that afternoon. Rukia found herself surrounded by lots of women. One was there to do her nails, two were preparing her kimono, another one would fix her hair, one would do her make up, others were there just to get her water or make sure she would be comfortable and get whatever she needed. Not to mention, Michiko-sama, who would show up eventually to make sure everything was going fine and accordingly.

Yet, she couldn't shake off the feeling of being really deeply alone.

For the first time in a long time, Rukia actually missed not having any relatives in truth, anyone she could confide in, a familiar face that would soothe that feeling. She usually didn't need one, but….

Well, she had the groom, which had never exactly been a brother to her anyways. Maybe, if her sister had been alive… well in that case she wouldn't even be getting married, would she? To him at least…

Rukia concluded sadly that she didn't even have guests to invite or many familiar faces to see at the event. She could count on one hand the ones she really considered close to her, that she really cared about. And really, apart from her taichou, one was dead, and the other had made it painfully clear that he had no intentions on showing up for her wedding at all.

Unlike Renji, who'd had years in the shinigami academy to make friends and had graduated properly without any embarrassing incidents, to be included in the Gotei 13 as a noble – out of the blue – like she had been was an _excellent_ way to push people away, either by envy or reluctance.

She smiled politely at the woman who wanted to put some make up on her chest and neck.

"Oh, no, I want it all very light, Ayako-san, please. Just as we agreed, right?" Rukia reminded her.

"Right, right," the old woman complied, amused. "You are already so fair, Rukia-sama," She consented, still putting some powder on her.

Rukia stood there like a doll while the women started to dress her up. They put on her socks and refined undergarments and while she looked blankly at the mirror, seeing her gorgeous white kimono being wrapped efficiently around her body, she felt the already familiar discomfort that had been tying her stomach in knots for several weeks now return with a vengeance. And that inexorably brought back memories of the dream she'd had the previous night.

Her chest tightened. After this day, she would forever lose the possibility of finding true love. Byakuya had made it clear he didn't see her that way and was only fulfilling his promise. She was not his Hisana, and would never be, as she had never been Miyako either. Yet, her brother had had his chance to marry for love, he'd taken it and fought for it until the end; she, however, never had, and never would. And that felt so unfair.

Rukia tried to think of something else, but those thoughts kept haunting her, spinning in circles in her head. The pressure in her chest wouldn't go away, and all those smiles around her were increasing her feeling of loss and sadness. She could hardly remember feeling this lonely in her life and, considering her time living in the Kuchiki mansion, that was _something_.

It was getting harder and harder to reciprocate the smiles, so she just stood there, quiet and silent, as the women around her did their jobs. With a bit of luck, they would take her seriousness as a form of wedding jitters and not call her on it.

She couldn't understand why this was affecting her so much. Maybe the dream had just left her with this undesirable disposition? She shouldn't take the situation so seriously... right?

She remembered the 'Byakuya' in her dream, looking at her so tenderly, kissing her… and then calling her Hisana. The difference from the real Byakuya, always so cold, was painfully obvious. She couldn't expect anything different, she knew, but for some reason… it hurt.

Rukia had never been a romantic person; someone who'd grown up in one of the worst districts of Rukongai could never afford to be so. Her weird, emotional behavior was puzzling her. It had to be the anxiety, all the pressure. Stress does that to you, Rukia figured, trying to dismiss the thought.

She breathed deeply while one of the women started to do her hair, creating an elaborate bun that would support the hair garment, while the older woman in the room, Ayako-san, gave her directions on how to do it.

Her rationalization wasn't helping in the least, and when the older woman raised her chin to start her makeup, Rukia cursed herself for not being able to hold herself properly as she should.

"Rukia-sama, are you crying?" the woman asked, noticing her watery eyes. "Is something not to your liking?"

"No, I'm not crying," she answered, feeling silly, for having to outwardly face the topic made it all worse and now she really wouldn't be able to hold the tears any longer.

All the women were looking at her with concerned eyes.

"No, there's nothing wrong. Please continue," she answered with her steady, strong voice, discreetly wiping the imminent tears from the corner of her eyes.

Ayako smiled, a sage smile, and said in a smooth voice. "It is common for the bride to be a little nervous, Rukia-sama, don't worry."

After a pause, she continued:

"I prepare all noble ladies for their weddings, and it's been some years since I've seen such a beautiful bride," she commented smiling. "And tonight you will be the wife of Kuchiki Byakuya-sama, you are the luckiest woman in all Seireitei! Every noble girl dreams of being in your place, so you should smile and shine tonight, ne?"

Rukia gave her a faint smile in return.

"Now let's put a smile on this beautiful face, my dear, or you will ruin my job."

The girl nodded, breathing deeply, and raised her chin, letting the old woman proceed with the makeup. Ayako-san kept explaining the proceedings step-by-step, and, even noticing what she was doing, Rukia was glad for the distraction.

*****

Rukia looked at the mirror – her pure white kimono was shining in the light, along with the diamonds on her hair garments, some hanging in a chain from her kanzashi*, and others in a thin line forming a small crown around her head. Small diamonds glittered around her wrist and on her ears, shaping delicate jewelry, which she knew were probably worth more than the entire 78 District of Rukongai itself.

Ayako had also taken care to place a small-sheathed dagger and a fan in her obi and had even given her a small purse for her to carry with her to the ceremony. Three things a bride should have on her wedding day – Rukia remembered reading about that in her book – to bring good fortune. It felt a little ironic.

The makeup highlighted her eyes, making them look bigger, and she agreed she looked pretty. She was feeling better and more confident, even if still nervous.

As soon as her maid finished pouring some perfume over her, a servant arrived:

"Rukia-sama, it is time. Byakuya-sama is waiting for you."

Rukia gulped and stood up.

*****

Byakuya stood there, waiting. The temple, the guests and even his clothes all looked the same. He was standing in that same position, in the altar, once again waiting for his fiancée.

_His sister, _he corrected_._

That was how he should see her.

He noticed the little string of anticipation in his heart and crushed it immediately. He recognized the danger of the situation. He always had, since her adoption - they looked too much alike. Even after avoiding her sucessfully for years, the danger would be always there, it seemed. It had been remarkably there recently. He was not unaware of how he had been losing grip on his thoughts lately, since the dinner with the other ladies. How she had left an impression on him when she had been so close, serving him tea. How he felt a little disappointed that she had ran away when he had nearly stumbled upon her on the porch the other night (and how he had found her particularly beautiful in the moonlight). How he had been paying too much attention to everything related to her.

That simply wouldn't do, he concluded. He had to forget whatever attraction he might feel for her and crush those improper feelings.

He knew she was in a delicate situation. A common girl that had grown up on the streets, brought into a noble clan that, at best, had tolerated her presence without bothering to properly welcome her in its midst. Objectively, he was the only one she had in her favor. She lived in _his_ house, under _his_ rule, having to obey him in everything and with nowhere else to go. She was at his mercy. After the marriage, it would be even more so.

He could not afford to harbor those feelings. To do so would be to allow himself to travel down a path that he should not even contemplate. It would not be honorable or acceptable.

She was Hisana's sister, his _sister_. That was what he would see whenever he looked at her that night, or afterwards. They would proceed with the wedding, which was just a way to fulfill his promise to protect her, and he would take care of her as a brother should, and nothing else. And that was it.

He nodded inwardly at his own decision, firmly making up his mind. He had always been good at isolating undesirable feelings, and that should be no exception.

His rationalization reassured him and he dismissed the thought, changing his focus. He felt more conscious of his surroundings and the many eyes on him, something he was quite accustomed with. He also noticed the beginning of the ceremonial music, indicating it was about to start. He looked around, but the guests, the music, the ceremony, it all seemed grey and unimpressive now. Like it was supposed to be.

'It will be fast and simple,' Byakuya concluded, comfortably back to his usually rational frame of mind. And with this certainty, he looked at the entrance.

* * *

But sometimes life is not that simple, ne, Byakuya-sama?

Isn't it cute that he has to remind himself to think of her as his sister, when she keeps doing the opposite? lol

That's ir for now, and just to reiterate, plz, review.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

I apologize to you all for taking so long to update. As I said, I had to mature the idea a bit before posting. Gomen ne? Also as I commented, decisions had to be made (I can't possibly write all my ideas lol), and as I will never be able to please everybody, I guess all I can do is write was I was supposed to write when I started it. I hope you like it. ^^'

I've never attended a Shinto wedding, but I researched it extensively. I apologize for any mistakes, I did my best with the descriptions I had. And yes, I changed a few details purposefully.

Also, my chapters were becoming bigger and bigger, and this one was a little monster already, so I decided to divide in two, for a less tiring size. The good part is that you'll get another one soon. ;)

* * *

_Japanese costumes/words mentioned_ :

_Hakama: Japanese pants usually worn over a kimono. (i.e the black ones that compose the shinigami uniform)_

_Haori: Japanese coat, the equivalent of a suit, used over the kimono (the captains use a white one in the series)._

_Kami-sama – God/deity_

_San-san-kudo – as Rukia explained last chapter, it literally means 'Three-three-nine-times,' and it's part of the Shinto wedding._

_-- _

-----------------------------On Previous Chapter---------------------------------------------------------------------------

_(…) He also noticed the beginning of the ceremonial music, indicating it was about to start. He looked around, but the guests, the music, the ceremony, it all seemed grey and unimpressive now. Like it was supposed to be._

'_It will be fast and simple,' Byakuya concluded, comfortably back to his usually rational frame of mind. And with this certainty, he looked at the entrance._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rukia watched helplessly as her arrival was announced. The doors of the temple were opened, the characteristic traditional song soaring in the air. She felt blood rushing from her face, accompanied by a dizziness that she easily recognized, and immediately started to breathe deeply. She couldn't faint, she _couldn't_. Trying to free her mind of any thoughts, as they wouldn't do her any good, she stepped into the temple.

Among a few hisses of "outrageous" and the ominous silence that followed, she started to walk reluctantly, in absolute fear, to the altar. She knew her brother – groom, she corrected - was there waiting for her. With a glimpse she could see his imposing, imperious figure completely still as a statue, looking at her. Yet, she wouldn't dare to meet his eyes, fixing her gaze on the end of the red carpet under her feet, instead.

With a blank stare straight ahead, she marched impassively to the altar.

******

Even in the silence of the temple, it was possible to notice the uproar her entrance had caused. Some nobles were disgusted at the ceremony itself and at the fact that a plebeian was once again marring the Kuchiki name. Some, for different reasons, found the usage of that kimono outrageous, and showing absolute lack of sense. Some, usually the oldest ones, watched uninterested, hoping the ceremony would be over shortly; and others would remain silent, decided not to express how they found Kuchiki Rukia truly extremely beautiful that day.

And because all the guests had their attention on the bride that had just entered the place, none of them, none but _one _– one that considered life gets extremely boring after some centuries – was paying attention enough to see the cold mask in Kuchiki Byakuya's face crumbling down at that very moment.

******

Byakuya had his impassive gaze on the entrance of the temple. He heard her arrival being announced, but it didn't affect his resolute mind or heart. He watched calmly as the big wooden doors were opened and prepared himself to proceed with the ceremony as simply and detachedly as he had planned.

It would be, therefore, an understatement to say that he was taken aback by shock or surprise, as he finally looked ahead and - suddenly feeling as if he had been struck on his chest, for it was definitely hard to breathe - stared, aghast, as the most unexpected scene unfolded in front of his eyes.

His heart skipped a beat and he recognized immediately, wide-eyed and in utmost confusion, his dearest memory, so perfect and vivid as it still was on his mind, and gaped, astounded, as it repeated itself, so real now, yet so much like a dream, right in front of him.

He blinked in shock.

There she was, once again – in a blurred state between dream and existence, memory and reality.

And because his heart had never been one prone to indulging in hope and belief, he was limited to simply stare, in pain, as if his heart had been run through by a sword, helplessly trying to understand the vision in front of him, in a vain attempt to focus his mind and grasp that mix of his dearest dream, and his worst nightmare, and see it for what it really was.

His heart had started to beat uncontrollably fast, he noticed, as if a great menace was coming his way.

A great menace indeed, disguised in the stunning form of a woman, a beautiful face, a hair in the color of the darkest night, a most fair skin and those beautiful violet eyes that didn't dare to look at him.

She looked like a princess, he thought - as he had before.

'She is not Hisana', he told himself firmly, but this realization, so obvious, hurt much more than it should. 'She is not Hisana,' he repeated, exhaling the breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

He pursed his lips tightly, suddenly ashamed at his lack of control, and regaining his composure, assumed once again his cold facial expression, which, he was sure, had, for only a second, showed all the surprise and shock he experienced, and the hope, sadness, pain. He frowned at the thought, disgusted.

Why? Had she deliberately chosen to torture him in that way? What did she hope to accomplish with this preposterous behavior? Had she no sense at all?

He felt anger rising in his chest.

Disgusted at himself for his reaction, and especially angered at her, Byakuya glared at the woman slowing walking down the aisle, her eyes still blank, focused on the floor.

As he focused on her figure, he felt his will falter and looked away, but, reminding himself of the situation she had exposed him to, the shame, he glared at her again with renewed strength.

He wouldn't be able to confront her now, so he would proceed with the ceremony without any unnecessary words. He could, at least, be as cold as he wanted, and make his displeasure very clear.

Keeping his serious facade, he extended a cold hand for her to take.

*****

If even his eyes on her were a rare event, let's not mention his touch – Rukia realized she had never had any physical contact with her brother in all those years living together.

She reluctantly took his hand, looking at him for the first time in that day. She noticed that, contrary to her expectations, his hand felt warm and comfortable, but his deep grey eyes were cold as ice, and they turned immediately to the priest, averting hers.

She walked with him until their positions in the altar, finally allowing herself to look at him from the corner of her eyes. He was wearing an expensive black kimono and a grey hakama, both covered with a black haori typically used by grooms, as she recalled from the book, except that in his case it had the Kuchiki family crest embroidered in gold. He looked as handsome as usual, particularly so, and Rukia noticed once again how tall he was as he stood there, proud and still. She also noticed he was wearing his kenseikan, gloves and a golden torque composed of gold strips, which she recalled seeing before, in the occasion of her adoption. As the kenseikan, it was probably a symbol of his status as head of the Kuchiki house, she figured.

"We are gathered here today," the priest started to speak, startling her, "to join these two souls in sacred matrimony, binding them eternally."

'No, this is not true', Rukia told herself, trying not to pay attention to the priest's words and avoid her previous desperate state incited by her dream.

She noticed everyone standing up and, with a prayer to Kami-sama, the priest started the purifying ritual, using a branch, the narai-gushi.

Rukia watched as Byakuya bowed to receive the purification blessing and imitated him; the priest proceeded, purifying them solemnly, with slow, meaningful gestures.

Her eyes followed the priest as he moved to start the purification of the guests, and then focused on the floor, trying vainly to avoid acknowledging Byakuya's presence. The music, in its heavy, repeated melody, increased her impression of deep solemnity and seeing the ceremony detachedly as she had planned was getting harder and harder by the minute.

The priest reassumed his place on the altar and started to read the 'Norito' – a prayer, with specific, ancient words, written on a wooden piece, declaring their 'intention' to marry and, in a humble request, asking for Kami-sama to accept it and bless the new couple. The words were very antique and Rukia shuddered at its meanings. She looked at Byakuya, who kept looking coldly and unaffectedly to the priest, his imposing figure as impressive as a king.

*****

Byakuya felt her eyes on him. She was looking at him, he knew, even without moving his eyes. He could also sense fear and nervousness mixed in the reiatsu coming from the small form beside him, and he felt his previous anger slightly giving away to an urge to protect and reassure her.

'No', he corrected his thoughts. Byakuya was a proud person. What she did was inconsiderate and unforgivable, and albeit he couldn't understand her motivations, she should receive the treatment she deserved for her ingratitude and impropriety.

*****

Rukia noticed a distinct coldness coming from her former brother – now husband-in-process - more intense than the usual. He had avoided looking at her at all costs since the ceremony started. Was he angered at her for any reason? Was he trying not to think about his previous marriage? Or maybe he was just regretting the fact that his promise had led him to this situation?

They were all strong possibilities, she figured. Still, Rukia felt silly at her own thoughts. Maybe it was just her stupid expectations making her see things for more than they were, and he was only treating her as customary. Yeah, that was also a strong possibility, she considered sadly.

*****

Rukia noticed two young maidens, wearing white kimono and red hakama, approaching them, one of them bringing the sacred sake, and realized they would start another part of the ceremony – the san-san-kudo. Rukia felt a little relieved that at least she knew what was going on - her idea of reading a book about it had been very useful after all.

The young priestesses bowed, and one of them served the sake, while the other solemnly offered the first, smaller cup, for Byakuya, who took three sips of it in a calculated slow pace. Rukia couldn't help but notice how gracious his gestures were, in everything he did. She watched as he returned the cup, glancing briefly at her.

The maiden received it back, and, bowing, offered the cup to Rukia.

Rukia took the cup on her small hands and, reluctantly, raised it to her own lips, touching them where his lips had touched before. Slowly, she took the expected three sips from _his_ cup, feeling the taste of the sake on her mouth, suddenly comprehending the intimacy implicit in the gesture. The sake felt hot on her tongue – she wasn't used to drinking it at all. Blushing, she returned the cup to the girl.

The second, medium-sized cup was offered to her first. Once again, Rukia took three sips and returned it to the maiden, who offered it to Byakuya. He looked at her before leisurely taking the three sips from it.

At last, the largest cup was brought and offered to Byakuya first, who repeated the ritual. Rukia received it from the hands of the maiden again, and took it to her lips. She felt his eyes on her, but concentrated on the cup on her hands instead, and again she felt herself blushing from drinking from his cup, remembering his lips softly touching it. With the taste of sake still on her mouth again, she realized the intimacy brought her a tingly feeling in her abdomen, which she couldn't exactly (or didn't want to) identify.

She identified, however, the feeling of lightness and a dizziness brought from all the sake. She had not taken a considerable amount of it, but her inexperience, empty stomach and her little body weight didn't help on the matter.

*****

Byakuya watched as she took the cup to her lips and – was that a blush he spotted?

He wondered what that silly girl could be thinking. He was trying to keep his cold façade and fuel the anger she deserved in his heart, but his mind would wander and his will would falter. At that moment, it was getting harder and harder to ignore how beautiful she looked; so tempting, so close to him, so painfully similar…

Byakuya watched as she shyly drank from the cup, as delicately as… _she_ had done, before.

He merely watched as she demurely followed the ritual, becoming his wife, becoming _his._

The thought was dreadful and wonderful and suddenly he felt disgusted, hating the mixed feelings in his heart.

He decided to ignore all those feelings, reminding himself of his duty, his promise, and also her improper behavior. Those were the things he had to keep in mind.

And the world would go back to grey as it should.

*****

The sacred sake was now being distributed among the family members, as a blessing to the witnesses, starting with the oldest ones. The wedding was a very restricted ceremony, and only the family was allowed to attend.

Rukia saw Fujiwara-sama drinking his sake and, even in her slightly altered state, she remembered the words she had read in the book – they had performed the ritual that symbolized that she and Byakuya were now a new family, supposed to share everything and be together eternally. 'The number three is indivisible', she remembered, symbolizing the seriousness of their vows.

Yet, she didn't quite feel all that seriousness at that moment.

The lightness in her head actually made her want to laugh for no reason in particular – to be honest Fujiwara-sama's beard seemed particularly funny then - and she suppressed a giggle, a little confused at her own reaction. Looking at Byakuya, she concluded that, at that moment, all those things didn't seem like such a bad idea anyway.

*****

In continuation to the ceremony, Rukia watched as Byakuya received a wooden piece containing their vows, which, according to the book, he was supposed to read aloud. She simply stood there, at his side, listening to his deep voice as he declared, in her name, their intention to remain loyal, respectful, to support each other and share their lives in everything, with the blessing of Kami-sama…

His voice was so pleasant in her ears. She decided she could listen it for hours.

"And in these intentions, I, Kuchiki Byakuya, swear," she heard his soft yet strong voice saying.

Wait, that was her cue.

"So do I, Kuchiki Rukia," she added.

She was so glad she got it in time.

*****

Byakuya could almost swear that little bit of sake had affected her, for she had a dreamy, confused stare that he had never seen on her face. The thought amused him briefly – was she really that weak?

Recovering his gravity, he received the small box with the wedding rings and, taking her left hand in his, he delicately placed the smaller one on her finger.

He watched as she shyly did the same with his hand.

Looking at the golden band, he concluded that, whether it was a serious marriage or not, he would always wear the ring. And he would always honor it, and respect their vows. Brother or not, he would always be hers. There was no turning back at that point.

Not that he had any expectations to marry again or anyone else for that matter, nor did he have any plans to make this a real marriage. But he noticed that, even if he was mad at her at that moment… for some reason the realization didn't feel bad or sad in the least. And he was unsure if that was a good or a bad thing.

*****

The new couple bowed deeply, solemnly offering the Tamagushi, a branch of sakaki tree, to Kami-sama – a demonstration of their gratitude for the blessing.

After the ritual ended, the priest spoke:

"You are now husband and wife. May your lives be full of happiness and peace, and may you be blessed with healthy children that will be the pride and joy of the Kuchiki clan."

Rukia felt extremely awkward at the mention of what was, after all, the purpose of all this, at least in the elders view.

"Byakuya-sama, you may kiss the bride."

Wait. What?

*****

Byakuya knew the mention of children must have caused embarrassment for her, as he saw Rukia flush to the roots of her hair.

"Byakuya-sama, you may kiss the bride."

_Damn._ Damn all these new modern costumes. He had completely forgotten about that. Maybe because last time it had not been exactly an issue. He should have talked to the priest beforehand to exclude that part, but now it was too late.

He was still angry at her, at her unbecoming behavior and disregard, angry at how she dared to look so absolutely and improperly beautiful, angry at his shameful reaction, angry at this situation, since he _didn't_ want to kiss her because maybe he _did_ want to kiss her too much for his own good, and that was just simply disgusting and unacceptable. Yes, he was very displeased.

He looked at her, her naïve eyes looking back at him with a bit of fear and shame. Silly girl, what would she be thinking? It would mean nothing. He would make it all quick and sterile as it should be. As he had promised.

Without getting too close to her, he approximated only his face, trying to avoid her eyes_. Cold. It has to be cold and brief, _he reminded himself.

Except that when his lips touched hers, they didn't feel cold at all. They felt soft, warm and inviting and still sweet from the sake. And for a second he hated the hundreds of eyes on him, for he knew he had to retreat.

Wait. Did she even smell like Hisana, or was he hallucinating? The familiar scent of roses and sandalwood hit his senses, reminding him of a hundred nights of…

He retreated immediately.

There. Perfect. Quick, brief, a cold and sterile kiss, just like it should be. Yet, the luscious scent emanating from her had impregnated his mind and the feeling of her lips still lingered on his, and worse - the fact that _that_ was the first and would be the last time he would feel them for some reason bothered him immensely, and he cursed himself for his weakness, disappointed.

Everything was going wrong and it was all her fault. Why did she have to do that?

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Obs: in the san-san-kudo part, people usually fake-sip the first two, drinking for real on the last one only. Rukia, of course, didn't know about that, so she drank it all. Lol

Second part is coming soon. Let me know your thoughts, plz review!


	11. Chapter 11

Oh dear readers! Sorry it took me so long to update this! As I said, it was ready, but I decided to include a few things and sent it back to my dear Royalbluekitsune again. It got better, though, and a little longer! I hope you enjoy it! :)

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_Japanese words:_

_Hadajuban: the first undergarment worn in the kimono attire. It is so named as it is worn next to the skin._

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..

Byakuya offered her an arm, and they left the temple together, followed by the guests.

Rukia's dizziness was fading away and she was suddenly very aware of his closeness, his warm body pressing into her side and those soft lips that had just delivered her very first kiss.

She almost closed her eyes at the memory.

Even after that, he was still not speaking to her or even looking at her, she noticed, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.

'Of course, Rukia. This is a fake marriage, remember? He is only doing me a favor,' she reminded herself roughly. She felt like slapping herself for her foolishness. Why should she expect anything different?

Before they arrived at the main ballroom, where the reception would be given, Mieko called her.

"My Lord, Rukia-sama, excuse me," she bowed in front of both of them. "Rukia-sama, this way please".

She guided them to a room just before the reception place.

Rukia noticed the room was actually divided in two – the first chamber was a comfortable anteroom, and the second one was a bigger room, with a bathroom enclosed.

Byakuya simply nodded at her and waited outside while the maids took her to the changing room.

*****

Maybe it was just a coincidence? Maybe it wasn't exactly that one? Maybe it was just his imagination?

No, he would never mistake it for any other. The memory was too alive and intact in his mind. But why? Why would she do this?

Maybe she had not known. Or maybe they had been separated…. Surely she would have sense enough not to…?

But his wishful thinking was severely broken as he watched Rukia emerge from the other room like a queen, covered in rubies and in that dark satin that matched her fair skin so perfectly, marring his old memories with a new one. If he was honest with himself, the color even suited her more fiery personality better than it did to its previous wearer. It was an intense color, the color of blood, and it incited all kind of memories in him… And that just wouldn't do.

He glared at her with the coldest stare he could muster and stood up.

*****

Rukia knew she was not mistaken this time – he really _was_ mad at her! But why?

He barely waited for her, not offering his hand so they could enter the ballroom together, so she simply followed him by his side, mindful of his reactions in a tentative to understand them. Had she done anything wrong?

Their entrance in the ballroom didn't pass unnoticed - all guests bowed as they passed mightily to their seats, which looked more like thrones for Rukia, and she sat uncomfortably in the empty one by his side.

*****

One-by-one, the guests came and, bowing, congratulated the new couple, offering their wishes of good fortune and happiness.

Among the many unknown faces, Rukia recognized one of the ladies that had attended the dinner a week ago, a frail brown-haired girl from the Kannooji family; she offered a sincere smile to Rukia and wished them happiness. Most of the noble ladies, however, were glaring darkly at her and whispering, most likely praying that she would just drop dead for stealing their precious 'Byakuya-sama'.

To all congratulatory words, whether sincere or fake, Rukia simply replied with a faint smile and thanked politely.

She looked around – the ballroom was huge and beautifully adorned just the way she had agreed with Ayame-san; perhaps even better than she had anticipated. Sake and food were being served to the guests, and Rukia took great care to decline every offer of spirits, asking for water instead – she didn't want to embarrass herself any further with her lack of resistance to alcohol.

While she waited for it, she saw Unohana-taichou approaching them.

"Kuchiki-taichou, Kuchiki Rukia-san," she acknowledge them, bowing. "I have already given you my good wishes, but let me reiterate my wish that this marriage bring happiness to both your lives," she said with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Unohana-taichou," Rukia heard him replying. It was one of the very few cases in which he had bothered to answer, instead of simply nodding, she noticed.

"Thank you, Unohana-taichou," she imitated, even if the woman's words seemed far from possible. At least she was honestly glad to see a familiar face. Even with so many guests around and her _husband_ by her side, Rukia was feeling rather lonely and unwelcomed.

She was glad that Unohana-taichou was kind and sociable enough to engage in small talk with them for a while, if only to distract her of the awkward situation.

*****

Unohana excused herself as the other guests also needed their attention and left discreetly, with a question still on her mind - one she would never ask, but could only guess, remembering another Kuchiki marriage she had attended so long ago.

Rukia noticed Yasumoto-sama was the next one to approach them.

"My compliments on your marriage, Byakuya-sama," the old man said, not bothering to look at Rukia_. _He bowed slightly and added conversationally:

"I can see now how this arrangement was a good one after all. Who would have thought that Rukia-dono would be such a willing replacement for a wife? The will to please is definitely a trait to be searched for in a bride," Yasumoto said dryly, eyeing Rukia this time.

Rukia frowned at his words. What in the world was this man talking about?

Byakuya couldn't defend Rukia's behavior, as he didn't understand it himself, but he did not like the tone in his uncle's voice.

"What are you implying, Uncle?"

"Simply that this might be a successful marriage after all," the man answered with a fake smile on his face. "Now if you'll excuse me," he bowed again, taking his leave.

The man's words left hanging in the air, leaving an uncomfortable uneasiness in Rukia. It was clear that Byakuya had not taken them well either, and, after a moment of silent discomfort, she noticed his eyes briefly on her and, as he turned them away she felt a distinct anger in his reiatsu, directed towards her again.

*****

A presentation of the traditional dance had started, entertaining the guests, so they had been given free time for a while. Rukia knew she should use the opportunity to eat something, but a more urgent matter demanded her attention.

Why was he mad at her? In the past week he had seemed rather resigned to their marriage, and had especially expressed with words that it had been his choice. That was not her impression that day, however – he seemed displeased or especially cold at her since they met in the temple. What could she have done wrong that would displease him so?

She remembered that his anger seemed renewed after she came back from the changing room.

Rukia was suddenly reminded of the conversation she had with Michiko-sama when she was choosing her kimono. Could it be…?

Rukia knew it probably was a bad idea to ask, but the fact that he was barely looking at her was bothering her greatly, winning the argument in her head. She summoned all the courage she had in her heart and moved closer to him, speaking almost in a whisper:

"Why is Byakuya-sama angry at me?"

He turned to her and his dark grey eyes met hers coldly a brief moment, quickly turning away.

"I believe that is quite evident, Rukia," he informed, not looking at her.

"Is it because of the kimono?" She tried.

"Of course." He answered, glaring at her. "Do you have any explanation for this absolute lack of sense?"

'Was that such a big deal for him?' she wondered, astonished. She really didn't mean any offense. The indignation in his tone scared her a little.

"I-I'm sorry that I chose Noriko-sama's kimono, I didn't even know it was hers, I… liked it so much since the first time I saw it! I-I just..."

She continued almost without breathing:

"When I was told it belonged to Noriko-sama, I was in doubt, but I thought it would be a homage, I-I never guessed... I'm deeply sorry if it displeases Byakuya-sama so much. I should not have taken any chances," she apologized sadly.

"My mother's kimono?!" He interrupted her. "Is that what you think this is about?" His stormy grey eyes were looking deep into hers now, as if trying to read her.

"Is it not?" She asked, completely at lost.

Byakuya looked to the other side, focusing his eyes on some of the dancers of the presentation, and sighed dejectedly. She was being honest. She was telling the truth. He couldn't even direct his anger at her.

"Your sister also thought it would be a good idea to pay homage to my mother," he informed her in a low tone, still not looking at her.

Rukia's gaze, which was fixed on the back of his head, lowered to the ground, as she let the words sink in. Oh, no...

"Oh, God, I—so this is…--No- I-I'm... terribly sorry! I swear I did not know, I would have never! I'm… deeply sorry…"

She couldn't exactly bring the words she needed to apologize for creating such an embarrassing and awkward situation. She wasn't unaware of how much she resembled her sister, which made it all a lot worse. After a few seconds, she heard him speak:

"I believe you. Do not worry," his tone was still angry. He was not so sure about others though. Certainly anyone could have warned her about it? Has it really been a coincidence?

Words felt useless in the situation and they both stood there in uneasy, tense silence.

*****

It didn't take long for the dance to end and again they were forced to sit through more fake congratulatory wishes. This time, however, they were ones that Rukia would have rather gone without.

From someone who had been paying attention to them for a while, even if she had been oblivious to it.

A man with dark blond hair, steely grey eyes and aristocratic features stopped and bowed very slightly in front of them.

"Byakuya-sama, Rukia-dono," Eisei said in a polite tone. "My sincere congratulations on your marriage."

"Thank you," Rukia answered, and Byakuya simply nodded politely.

"A beautiful reception, a beautiful bride," he commented in a congratulatory tone, "_and the sake is particularly tasty today_," he added with a debonair tone. He raised his cup as if offering a toast to them. "What else could one possibly want?" he finished with a smile.

He drank the sake looking directly at her.

Rukia could not avoid the embarrassment, as memories of earlier that day came to her mind – memories of when he had improperly walked into her bath, _her sake bath_. Was he… mentioning it purposefully?

She discreetly looked at Byakuya, who had narrowed his eyes impatiently – and certainly had not understood completely what was going on.

"Yes, my cousin is a very lucky man, is he not?" Eisei asked looking at Rukia. Was he asking her or was that a rhetorical question?

"Well, I shall leave you to the other guests, I believe. Congratulations again, Byakuya-sama… I _am sure _Rukia-dono will be an excellent wife," Eisei added meaningfully and bowed with a smirk on his lips.

Rukia watched the retreating back of the man and looked down, hoping her flustered cheeks were not making her embarrassment too obvious.

*****

Rukia felt glad to see a much kinder and familiar face approaching them.

"Byakuya, Kuchiki-san," the smiling face of her taichou was always a source of confidence and cheerfulness for her. "Congratulations on your marriage!" he said in his usual jolly tone.

"Thank you," she heard Byakuya answering for the second time that night, and she could spot a faint smile on his lips.

"Thanks for coming, Ukitake-taichou," she answered, truthfully happy.

"Kuchiki, who would have thought." He started, looking at her. "That little shinigami who joined my squad, now a married woman, assuming the leadership of the clan with Byakuya," he continued with pride in his eyes.

"And a very beautiful woman too. Byakuya is a lucky man," he said with a charming smile, then turning to look meaningfully at Byakuya, who simply nodded in understanding.

Yes, he would take care of her.

Rukia had told him this was a fake marriage, so why would he say that, she wondered. Just out of politeness, she concluded, something very typical for her captain.

"Well, if you excuse me, I will help myself with some dinner. You both should eat as well. I noticed you didn't have time to do it either, " he added, courteously moving away.

*****

Rukia followed her captain's advice, and helped herself with some food. She discovered she was quite hungry, but all the nervousness of the night had distracted her from it.

Byakuya was still not talking to her, but she couldn't sense anger on him any longer. In fact, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, as if struggling with a difficult question in his mind.

She wanted to ask about it, but how to approach the cold and distant Kuchiki Byakuya? She had a hunch that she would never be allowed to do so. Even if they shared the same bed, she could never see her honored brother sharing his heart with anyone.

But thinking about the bed… would they?

Rukia anticipated an even more awkward situation. That night, she would probably be sleeping in her brother's bedroom. Her husband's bedroom, actually, she corrected. A wave of fear – and, if she was honest, curious anticipation - stirred her nerves at the thought. She had no idea what would happen from there on.

What exactly would change? He had indicated that they would still be siblings in private, or so she had understood. How should she refer to him then? Should she keep calling him o-nii-sama in private? Or would that make it harder for her to remember how to act properly in public?

And even in public, how do you address the high lord of your clan who is also your husband? She couldn't picture herself calling him simply Byakuya, like she did to Renji – she respected him and feared him too much for that. And in all those years, they had never acquired any type of intimacy either. Maybe she was just supposed to call him like everybody else did, she concluded.

*****

"Let's retire," he said after a long silence. He stood up and offered her an arm.

"Yes, my lord," she answered, taking his arm. She could feel many eyes on her and focused on the ground, even with her head up. It was hard to move with such a heavy outfit, and she was glad that he was helping her this time.

The guests bowed as they passed silently, leaving the ballroom and heading to the wing of the castle where their bedrooms were located. The halls were getting quieter with each step that they took, and Rukia was growing more self-conscious and anxious, noticing more and more the foreign touch of his hand supporting hers.

As soon as they arrived in their wing of the castle, they were greeted by Fumiko and Mieko.

"Byakuya-sama," the older woman acknowledged, bowing. "Rukia-sama, please come with us," Fumiko said, turning to her. "She will be ready soon, my lord."

****

Rukia again stood there like a doll, while the women helped her out of her complex outfit. They untied the many layers of obi, releasing her from the uchikake and the shiromuku and she was left in her hadajuban. Then, even that was denied. The coldness of the night hit her skin, and she shivered a bit, covering herself as she could.

The two maids moved to take out some more clothes from her wardrobe and she sighed, wondering and perhaps dreading what they were after.

Since she had joined the Kuchiki family, Rukia had been presented with a wardrobe full of many beautiful kimonos and accessories and all kind of garments she could possibly need. She had also found there western nightgowns and yukatas for her to choose as she pleased.

While she had never been particularly fond of her new clothing, she had appreciated the unspoken freedom of being able to wear whatever she liked. It was not, therefore, without a hint of annoyance that she noticed how, since her duties as a noble had been brought into attention because of the marriage arrangement, she had not had a say in anything she did – or wore - anymore.

She had been denied the choice of husband, work, what to do, whom to meet, what to wear, when to breathe – it was becoming really infuriating. And as the maids went to the wardrobe, she had a feeling that once again, she would not have a say in the matter. She sighed deeply, frustrated by her inability to speak her own mind.

Just one last time. She would play her bridal role for just a little longer and hopefully everything would be over after that night.

Fumiko approached her holding a beautiful nightdress, and Rukia knew without a doubt that such a gown hadn't been in her bedroom before that day. It was white, sleeveless and practically screamed wealth and refinement. As they helped her put the flimsy piece of clothing on her, Rukia could feel the thin and soft fabric going down in layers of lace a few inches under her knee. Its empire waist, with a thin lacy ribbon holding the piece under her breasts, gave it a doll-like effect. Yet, she also noticed that, even with the second layer of lace covering the top of her chest, the nightgown was in overall semi-transparent, leaving very little to the imagination. Rukia held her breath – it was completely… inappropriate.

"Whose nightgown is this? I don't remember ever seeing it in my wardrobe," she asked warily. She would not make the same mistake twice.

"It is yours, my lady. It was tailored especially for the occasion. Michiko-sama mentioned something about your ladyship not wanting to be disturbed with too many details concerning the wedding, and took the liberty of choosing it herself," Mieko answered, bringing her a robe to put over the nightgown.

Well, at least the robe gave it a little more modesty, even if not much, since it was made of the same fine and thin material.

Fumiko came to her, this time with a bottle of perfume in her hands and handed it to Mieko, leaving both girls alone in the room.

"That's not--" _necessary_, Rukia finished in her head, remembering that it was not a good idea to reveal her agreement with Byakuya.

"Never mind, go on," she amended poorly, sighing softly.

Mieko proceeded and, after delicately fixing Rukia's hair, she gave a step, bowing and saying:

"Rukia-sama is ready."

Rukia looked at her image in the mirror.

No. Even with the robe, it was too revealing, too... it was completely inappropriate. She remembered a night some days ago – the eve of the fatidic meeting with the elders -when she had met her brother in the parlor, in a nightgown only, and how it had already felt completely embarrassing and improper, even if it had been a much less… seductive one. This one was just… no. She couldn't go _anywhere_ wearing this.

At that moment, Fumiko opened the door and entered the room again.

"It is time, Rukia-sama. It won't do to have our lord waiting for too long," she reminded.

"I can't… go out wearing this," Rukia commented, still looking at the mirror.

"Oh, do not worry, Rukia-sama, I assure you that no one else is in this wing of the castle, no servants, no one. I went out to make it sure myself, so that our lady can have her privacy. And it is just the next door, as Rukia-sama knows."

Rukia gulped.

"Oh I know, but… I mean… I… can't. I would like to wear something else."

Mieko looked at her with an afflict expression:

"My lady, it was made especially for the occasion, and Michiko-sama--"

"Rukia-sama, if I may be so bold… " Fumiko interfered, "… you should not worry yourself so much. It is understandable for brides to be anxious and wary, but I believe our Lord… is a very kind man. And Rukia-sama, a very brave woman."

The woman's implications were making it all worse, and Rukia was now deeply and helplessly flushed from head to toe. But the woman was right, this was a shameful display. And if she knew her brother – _husband_ (she didn't even know how to think of him any more) – well, he would probably not even look at her anyway.

Rukia nodded and, pulling the robe tightly around herself, followed them towards the door.

..

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Hmmm as I mentioned before, in my profile and my livejournal, I might have to change the rating of this story. I'll let you know if needed, never fear! For now, please review, I love to know your thoughts! Also, thanks so much for those who reviewed and favorited my story, it's really motivating and inspiring, it makes me think about it and write more! *hugs you all*

See ya next chapter in Byakuya's bedroom! lol

Wynn


	12. Chapter 12

Just a quick advertising: I made a byaruki AMV, check my livejournal if you want/haven't seen it. Now, on with the show! :D

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That wing of the Kuchiki household was quiet and silent as the three women quickly moved through the hallway, from a room to another. They walked equally soundlessly, Rukia flanked – like the proper lady she was supposed to be - by her dutiful companions. As soon as they stepped inside their Lord's bedroom, Rukia noticed, not without surprise, that the room was empty.

At least she could study her surroundings – she had never been in her brother's room before. It was very large, with sparse, expensive-looking furniture. Faint candlelight barely illuminated the room, making it a bit dark, but she could see a desk, a bathroom attached, many paintings on the walls… and a huge, tall futon that she didn't quite want to acknowledge at that moment.

While she contemplated the furniture and paintings, Fumiko removed her robe without saying anything. Caught by surprise, Rukia turned around to protest, but before any words left her mouth she saw Fumiko and Mieko bowing, and the latter added:

"We will call for the master now, my lady. Be well," the girl said with a sweet smile. It was a 'good luck' smile.

Rukia gulped and watched as both women left the room quickly.

The cool air caressed her skin and she rubbed her arms slowly, trying to get some warmth into her frozen limbs. The room seemed to imitate its master's mannerisms in every aspect.

*****

Byakuya fixed his gaze on the fireplace, watching the bright shimmering flames distantly. His mind, however, was focused on another place – more specifically, his room. At that moment his newly acquired wife was probably already there, in his chambers, waiting for him, most likely confused and embarrassed, hoping for answers to unspoken questions. 'How should they proceed from now on?' or something along those lines was probably troubling her mind.

They would have to at least pretend to be a regular couple, was the obvious answer. She should move her belongings to his bedroom, share his bed, behave as his wife. At least to foreign eyes. And in private, he would have to keep treating her as his sister, as he had promised.

Byakuya sighed. He should try to refrain from making difficult promises one of these days.

He felt caught in between his oaths. Considering the vow he had made to his parents, he should probably fulfill his obligations to the clan, marrying and giving them an heir. But he could not do it, not now. Not to Hisana, not to Rukia. He had two other promises to fulfill.

To impose something like that on her would be unthinkable. Not to mention it was his fault she had to marry against her will – a direct consequence of her adoption and of his procrastination in searching for a wife and producing an heir. He had, therefore, done what was right – he had given her that option in order to protect her from an obligation that seemed intolerable to her. Even he, who had been bred according to the nobility values and tradition, knew that marrying against one's will could be quite painful. So he had offered it… _to protect her_. _Only to protect her_. So she would be allowed some time… and then, if his assumptions turned out correct, their marriage would be made null after a while because they would conclude that she was sterile and could not give him an heir, and she would be free to marry whoever she wanted then.

Unless...

… unless she decided for herself to accept _this _marriage as a real one.

Except that he couldn't exactly trust his noble motivations when his heart beat a little faster at that second possibility. As his body reacted eagerly to it and shameful images had to be banished from his mind.

How could he have failed his purpose so quickly, in such a short period of time?

Since her adoption, he had carefully built an impenetrable wall between them, punctiliously avoided unnecessary contact of any kind, meticulously dissected and crushed every improper thought or feeling until he could no longer feel the menace on her innocent face. It had worked perfectly for decades. Her pretty, delicate features, so similar to Hisana's, no longer inspired fear in his heart as they had on their first meeting. It was a closed subject, done and dealt with.

Until the elders had started to bring up the subject of a new marriage for him. Yes, that was likely when the problem had resurfaced, because, as shameful and inappropriate as it was, her name was the first to come to his mind, and, even if quickly dismissed, the thought must have stirred something inside him; for after that occasion any other option seemed pale in comparison, like simple stars in a full moon's night.

And that was why he could not entirely trust his righteous motives, his noble reasoning for accepting that offer as soon as Michiko suggested it.

And that was why hours spent in Hisana's mausoleum did not seem good enough to apologize.

The situation had deteriorated quickly during _that_ week. It had started changing since that fatidic dinner, when she had looked exceedingly beautiful, overshadowing all the other ladies in the room; when she had gotten a bit too close to him while serving him tea, her sweet scent hitting his senses… when he had made the terrible mistake of looking at her with the eyes of a man, instead of a brother.

Since that day, and the following morning, when marrying her came from a noble offer to an inexorable and imminent reality, his thoughts had been much harder to control, offering resistance to his well-practiced admonishment.

Even his tranquil night walks through the Kuchiki gardens, always a source of peacefulness for him, had become plagued by thoughts of her. Wrong, inappropriate thoughts. But he had still properly pushed them down, as usual. He had truly believed then that he was still in control.

He just hadn't been expecting what had happened earlier that night.

It hadn't been her fault. She could not be blamed – by her reaction, it was clear that Rukia had been unaware that Hisana had used that same kimono. He was still unsure of who was deserving of his anger for that, but surely not her.

She was also certainly oblivious to the effect it had on him… how that vision reminded him of so many forgotten things; as if the shock at seeing her had reanimated his unbeating heart, reminding him of sensations he no longer knew how to feel.

Unleashing things carefully guarded deep inside his heart.

And she was definitely unaware that, even with their very different personalities, he had found her as beautiful and desirable as he had once found her sister; that he longed to feel her inviting lips once more…

He frowned, and another rush of disgust filled his heart. He could not, should not, must not think of her like that. She was supposed to be his sister still. She had been entrusted to him, to be taken care of and protected as a sister. She depended on him, and trusted him as well. That was probably why she accepted his offer.

He had to find a way to revert those absolutely inadequate feelings. Immediately. But his heart was still in turmoil, as a wild thing just reborn, and sharing a bed with her that night was decidedly not in their best interests…

"My Lord?" He hear a female voice calling, bringing him back to reality, and he saw the maid by the door, bowing. "Rukia-sama is ready," she informed him.

He simply nodded, stood up, and dismissed her. In a steady pace, he walked towards his chambers calmly, not a single gesture denouncing the fear and anxiety in his heart.

*****

After some minutes of reluctance, Rukia decided that she was too tired to worry so much and that sitting down would not kill her. Was she supposed to stay there and wait? Her body was demanding some rest, she realized, looking longingly at the inviting Egyptian cotton sheet of heaven-knows-how-many-threads covering the mattress. It seemed so soft…

But lying on his bed was definitely not an option. She was already feeling quite uncomfortable by barely sitting on it, thank you very much.

The night was getting colder, and her flimsy garment was not helping on the matter. She felt the delicate fabric on her skin and covered herself, reminded of its impropriety. At least the faint light made the room quite dark and he would probably not see anything, she figured. That is, assuming he would even spare a look in her direction at all.

She was shaking – and she had a feeling that the cold was not the sole responsible for that. Dread was churning in her gut in a decided unpleasant way. She had no idea what to expect from this. Was she supposed to move her things to his bedroom? How should she address him? Would they really share his bed? Would they… ?

The idea brought a deep blush to her cheeks and butterflies to her stomach, and she involuntarily remembered the kiss. She had been slightly tipsy from the sake, but the memory was still very vivid in her mind. His lips had felt as soft and warm as she had imagined, and, if she was honest with herself… she had liked it. Too much for her own good.

Rukia could still remember, in her previous state of inebriation, looking at him in an appreciative manner. He was a very handsome man, managing to be even more so during their nuptials, in his formal attire. She also remembered how his deep husky voice had sounded extremely pleasant to her ears. There were moments, in her hazed state, when she had almost been able to imagine that theirs was a real marriage – a union fully consented by both of them, a romantic event in which he was truly in love with her. And it had felt… so good. The mere memory brought a warm feeling to her heart.

Now that she was back to her faculties, though, she could clearly see it was only a product of her alcohol-affected mind. Said man was her brother, her cold and indifferent brother, and, as far as she knew, his heart had died with her sister Hisana many years ago.

'If you so wish, I can try to postpone any marital obligations for as long as possible. Though I cannot predict how long that would be,' she remembered his words, his beautiful voice resonating in her head as if he had just spoken them.

That was their unspoken agreement – there would be no 'marriage obligations' as long as they could avoid it.

'That was what he meant, right?' she questioned herself, embarrassed, feeling a shameful and undeniable hint of disappointment.

Wait.

If she 'so wished'?

She had not given a second thought on those words before. But now… now that maybe she was not entirely sure… what if she… did not wish it?

Because, truth be told, maybe she was a little curious… maybe… she did not think it would be such a bad idea to kiss him again…

Rukia shook her head, embarrassed at her own reactions.

What about _his _wish? Was that simply the way he had phrased it? Or had he meant he would--?

At that moment, the door opened up and she saw the object of her thoughts standing there, tall and marmorean in all his Kuchiki glory – well, perhaps not _all_ of it, but…

Ashamed for being caught in the middle of such thoughts, Rukia immediately stood up, like she usually did in her brother's presence.

*****

Still plagued with confusing thoughts, Byakuya entered his bedroom, only to be met with the very image he was dreading. Rukia was sitting on his bed, and immediately rose at the sight of him.

The room was dark, lit only by a shimmering, faint light. However, as she stood up and took one step in his direction, the candlelight directly behind her was made perfectly visible through the thin material of her clothing – and so was her entire body. He could perfectly outline every detail of her unblemished curves. He could…

He should not look.

"B-Byakuya-sama," she greeted him nervously, eyes cast down.

With his eyes resting on the intricate floor by her side, he realized he liked how his name sounded on her lips, with her velvet voice. Even if she had been practicing it for the past few days, tonight it sounded more demure and timid… and he could not avoid another memory of long ago, once again playing with his mind.

As she spoke, his gaze was involuntarily drawn back to her lithe form. Her pale skin glowed in the candlelight and seemed impossibly soft. Her hair was shiny and smooth, a single strand typically falling over her beautiful violet eyes. Her neck and collarbone – the same one that had seemed so alluring on the dinner night a few days ago – were now completely visible thanks to her sleeveless nightdress, so close to his reach. Exposed for the sole purpose of his touch.

His eyes travelled further down, reaching the frail fabric of that alluring nightdress that would not conceal anything from his hungry eyes… he could perfectly see the untouchable shape of her small breasts, the thin fabric only partially covering her delicate pinkish nipples… her small waist… her slim, elegant legs…

Byakuya suddenly noticed he had approached her and was now much closer, his proximity making her eyes rise to meet his. She kept looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to say anything. Do anything. Give any answers to this weird situation. Solve this puzzle that had formed between them.

His betraying eyes briefly strayed to her lips once more, but he held them back on her trusting stare. He couldn't… shouldn't…

It was then that he felt it once again - her scent, that same intoxicating scent he had felt when he kissed her a few hours earlier. A faint sweet scent of roses and sandalwood that Hisana used to wear whenever she wanted to please him… except that now it was mixed with something else… an essence that, he knew, belonged to Rukia herself. It did not feel any less alluring because of that. Quite the opposite.

He closed his eyes, resisting with all his will the unbearable urge to kiss her again and claim her as his. She was still his _sister_, even if she was now his wife as well.

He needed to do something. He couldn't…

"Rukia," he started, glad that his voice came out as calm as he had intended, despite the struggle in his heart. "Go back to your room. We shall discuss this marriage tomorrow."

After what seemed to him like excruciating seconds of silence, she replied with a broken voice:

"Y-yes."

He opened his eyes, searching her face for the feeling he thought he had heard, but saw nothing. He found her perfectly composed as she immediately rose, bowed briefly without meeting his eyes, and left the room.

Even as the door closed behind her, her presence remained as her scent lingered in the air. He inhaled it deeply, savoring it, already regretting, for too many reasons, his hasty decision.

*****

Rukia left his room hurriedly, running back to hers and closing the door behind her.

Trying to calm her breathing, she leaned her back on the door, sliding down its surface until she sat on the floor. Only then, she braced herself and allowed the constricting feelings in her heart to surface. She undeniably felt like… crying.

'Stupid! How can I be so stupid!?' she yelled inwardly at herself, reproaching her reactions. She wanted to slap herself for her stupidity, angered at her own foolishness. Her heart was holding a hurricane of rage and pain and she was fighting with all her strength the tears that threatened to fall.

'What was I expecting?' she questioned herself, her watery eyes searching for answers on the walls of her empty room. 'I knew he would not even look at me! I even told myself so before I went there! Why would it matter? Why do I feel like this?'

'Why do I feel as if he… ' Rukia shook her head, trying to dismiss that train of thoughts, but the word she was avoiding came, nonetheless…

Rejection. The acknowledgment of it hurt, and it was impossible to hold the tears any longer. She closed her eyes, feeling a constricting pain in her heart, and felt hot tears burning their way down her cheek. Rukia quickly rubbed them off in a rough manner, her eyes full of anger.

She stood up in a sudden movement and moved towards her bed, feeling the coldness of the night getting more and more uncomfortable. Pulling some covers around her, she lay on the bed.

'This is simply stupid. There is not a good reason for me to react like this. He just acted like his usual self and followed our agreement. This is exactly what I should expect from him.'

Rukia sighed an exasperate sigh. 'How come I feel like this then? Why does it hurt?'

She turned off the light and pulled the blankets closer, staring blankly at the ceiling, hoping the darkness would hide and ease her troubled mind.

'Is it possible that I… started to develop feelings for him? As… more than a brother?' She questioned herself honestly.

And the truth was that she _had_ expected something different for that night, even if she did not know exactly what. She had let herself be carried away on the whole wedding ordeal, had indulged in childish fantasies and created surreal expectations that were bound to be crushed.

'I'm such an idiot,' she concluded.

Burying her face on her pillow, she sighed. Sleeping on her bedroom, alone and cold, on her nuptial night, was definitely not what she was expecting, stupidly as it was to expect otherwise. That expensive nightdress, how beautiful she was, everything going to waste. She felt a pressure in her heart again and hugged her pillow, her eyes getting wet with tears again.

'I am really such an idiot.'

*****

Not far from there, in another wing of the Kuchiki castle, another person was brooding over that night, albeit for different reasons. His thoughts were once again interrupted as he heard:

"Pay attention: the effect will be exponential. You have to be very careful and time it all perfectly, so that we can act before he notices anything is wrong. He is an observant man."

"I know, I know," the young man said dismissively, annoyed at the compliment to his cousin. He had other thoughts in his mind.

After a few moments in silence, he spoke:

"What about Rukia?"

"What about her?" the old man asked calmly, trying to understand the question. Then he commented:

"The girl made her choice. Had she chosen you, she would live. Since she was not wise enough to do so, she will meet his same end. Although she will be much less of a problem in that field."

Images of the beautiful bride passed through Eisei's mind. She had looked like a princess that night, graceful and composed like a future queen. The Kuchiki princess ... sitting by his cousin's side.

He narrowed his eyes as an old rage stirred in his heart. All of that should have been his - the title, the power, the respect of all those people bowing to him, even her. She was going to be his in the first place, until Byakuya interfered.

Byakuya. He hated the man with all his heart. _He_ should be the head of the Kuchiki clan! _He_ should have the respect, the power! _He_, Eisei, not _him_. He should never have to bow in front of his cousin again. Ah, but that day would come.

That last thought should have given him comfort, but there was still something bothering him. It was not so hard to identify what it was.

He remembered clearly, as the image of the naked woman filled his mind. Her body, so perfect, was completely visible through the transparent sake. Tiny and harmonious. Her pretty face, her blushing cheeks. She even blushed again as he mentioned it in front of Byakuya, he remembered with a grin. For once, he had had a glimpse of something his cousin probably wanted and did not have... yet. And now, even that was being corrected. She was probably giving herself to him at that very moment.

Another wave of hatred filled his heart.

He should take it all from him. Everything. Even her.

"No," he informed his father, "I have other plans for her."

Yasumoto looked at him reproaching.

"You will be the head of the clan. You will have the power, you will have everything you want. Why should you bother yourself with such a girl? You will have all noble ladies at your feet, many far more interesting than her."

"You don't understand," Eisei concluded, his gaze lost on the floor, more determined than ever.

"Yes, I do. You are blinded by your ambition," he knew his son too well to know he could act recklessly sometimes. Therefore, he added:

"Do not lose your chance, Eisei. Do not spoil it. Get rid of her - that's the easiest and safest way. She is in your way to the succession, as much as he is," Yasumoto advised, leaving the young man to his own thoughts.

"Hmph," he growled in response. 'No, she is not. Not exactly... '

*****

That night was a sleepless one for some of the inhabitants of the Kuchiki mansion, lost in troubling thoughts and regrets. Yet, the sun relentlessly came, and it was already late when Rukia woke up that morning.

It was later that day when Rukia was passing through a corridor and felt two familiar reiatsu inside a room, her impression followed by a voice that she recognized:

"Kuchiki Byakuya."

Fujiwara-sama. And his voice did not sound like good news. She decided she would not eavesdrop like she had last time, it was most inappropriate. Rukia started to walk again, but froze in place as she heard his following phrase:

"I've heard the most disheartening news this morning regarding your new wife."

Rukia's eyes widened in surprise and she immediately changed her mind, hiding her reiatsu and approaching them so she could hear it better.

"And what exactly would those be?" Byakuya asked warily, in his usual cold tone.

"No blood on the sheets? That hardly speaks in favor of your wife's honor."

Rukia had to suppress a gasp at hearing those words.

"I will not tolerate this kind of invasion in my personal life," she heard Byakuya warning the old man.

"Hm," she heard the elder growling in reply. "I am aware that this is none of our business. Yet, you did not deny it," his great uncle pointed out, his face in deep thought.

After some moments of uncomfortable silence between the two men, he continued:

"Before you take conclusions and punish the servants for their indiscretion, I will assure you that it was merely a supposition. A suspicion of mine, if you will, that you came to confirm. In defense of your lady's virtue, what came to my attention was that she slept in her own room last night."

Byakuya stared angrily at the man, masking the unpleasant feeling of being caught foolishly.

"Or should I say, she did not sleep in _your_ room?" The elder continued, making his point more obvious.

Byakuya knew perfectly well where this was leading and it was not good.

"You never touched your wife," Fujiwara concluded, accusingly, narrowing his wrinkled eyes. The silence of the young man told him everything he needed to know.

Byakuya knew he should have known better. He knew that telling her to sleep on her bedroom was a bad idea, but it seemed like the only option in the previous night.

"I see what you are doing, Kuchiki Byakuya, and we will not accept it. The council shall not tolerate your eccentricities any longer. You married a Rukongai stray, then you adopted her sister, then you marry said sister, and now this? How further will you disregard this family's sake for your personal whims?" he asked, in an aggravated tone.

Bound by his duties and his promises, Byakuya concluded no words would be enough to solve his situation. He was not a man prone to lying and, in fact, he could see his great-uncle's reasoning.

The elder continued, relentlessly:

"All noble ladies are disheartened at your choice to marry your adopted sister. Yet, you both agreed to it, and the council did not oppose it as a proof of good will and willingness to solve the problem in a way that would be faster and more agreeable to you both. But if you thought you could use this as a way out of your obligations, and hers, you thought wrong. You are supposed to set an example, for all the members of this family, for the other noble houses, for the whole Seireitei!" The old man paused, seeming tired, but continued with regained forcefulness:

"But I am sure you are aware of that. What is the example you are trying to set then? What should be understood from this? That the Kuchiki word is not trustworthy? That we make vows lightly? That your personal feelings should be put over the family's honor and future? Is that what you think my brother expected when he entrusted you with the leadership of this family?"

The words hurt him deeply. He knew his great uncle was right. With everything related to Hisana and Rukia he had failed his family.

"You both had your choice and _chose_ this," the elder reminded him, reinforcing the word. "Which was more than what was due. The minimum we expect from you is that you honor your matrimonial vows and consummate this marriage."

Fujiwara rose from his seat and headed towards the door.

"We expect the news of a Kuchiki heir soon."

He left the room and Rukia was glad that he headed towards the opposite direction. She kept watching blankly as the old man walked away, her eyes lost on his curved back, only to see her brother suddenly leave the room and stare directly into her eyes.

"You do not know how to hide your reiatsu very well," he informed her.

Rukia froze, her eyes widening, and she gasped in reply:

"I-I'm sorry, I did not mean to eavesdrop, I-I just--"

"I believe he meant for you to hear as well," he pointed out and she was suddenly quiet, not finding any more words to say.

He passed her undisturbed as he continued:

"Ask the servants to assist you and move your belongings to my bedroom. We shall discuss this later."

And with that, he left. Rukia looked at his elegant silhouette with the corner of her eyes for a few seconds, then started walking in another direction, intending to look for Mieko.

* * *

Liked it? Hated it? PLZ REVIEW! :)

Wynn


	13. Chapter 13

Here it is, chapter 13. It is my longest so far. My laptop lives again, thankfully, so I was able to deliver it.

This chapter is dedicated to Maria N. I told you it would not take so long! ;)

* * *

_Japanese terms/costumes mentioned:_

_Miyamairi (Newborn infant's shrine visit) – on the 31__st__ day after a child is born, he/she is taken to a Shinto shrine for the first shrine visit. This is called miyamairi. Miyamairi used to be an important event by which the child became a parishioner of a Shinto shrine as its first step toward becoming a member of society. However, it tends to be practiced only formally. The child is presented by their grandmother, since the mother is considered impure until that day._

_And __in case you have forgotten: _

_Kanzashi: hair ornament_

_Omiai: social gathering where unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage, usually with the help of a host and in the presence of the family._

* * *

.

..

Byakuya watched as the sun went down, coloring the Kuchiki Estate in shades of orange. He sighed, remembering the unpleasant conversation he'd had with his great uncle earlier – it had regrettably put him in a very delicate situation. It was most unfortunate that Rukia had witnessed it all, for now he would have to include that among the topics to discuss with her later.

He had planned their talking session to be as simple and fast as possible – there was no reason to impose more words than necessary. He would merely explain his plan and try to make her comfortable with the situation at hand until they could solve it permanently. Now, however, the comfortable part at least would be highly unlikely as it was, and once again he regretted his hasty decision.

*****

Rukia looked happily at Mieko.

"I believe we are finished," she concluded, and the girl smiled and nodded in agreement.

All her belongings had been properly moved to 'their' bedroom, Rukia considered, looking around. She hoped he would not mind how they had arranged them. Now the only thing missing was for her to feel comfortable with it, but she had no idea of how to get used with the alien concept of sharing a bedroom and sleeping in her brother's—no, in her husband's bedroom. Not for now.

Still looking at her things, that composed a strange view in his bedroom, she heard a knock on the door.

"Rukia-sama, dinner is ready," she heard a servant's voice calling from the outside.

"Thank you," she replied, and after a brief glance at Mieko she left, heading towards the dining room.

*****

Rukia followed the corridor, but just as she turned around a corner she came face-to-face with Michiko. The elder stopped, noticing her presence.

"Ah, Rukia-dono, I am glad we met," the woman started in a business-like voice. "I actually needed to talk to you about--" she was interrupted by Rukia, who narrowed her eyes as she spoke:

"You. You knew it and you did not tell me." Rukia accused her. The shame of having dressed up like Hisana on her wedding was still fresh in her mind, as well as Byakuya's displeasure, and Rukia glared at the woman. The mere idea of it and its implications on everyone's mind… 'Argh!' Rukia cringed inwardly, remembering Yasumoto's biting words in the previous night.

"I have no idea what you're on about, child," the elder replied with feigned innocence.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You knew Hisana had used that kimono and you deliberately chose not to tell me! Why?" Rukia demanded, her anger rising.

Michiko chuckled, amused at the girl's naiveté. "You never asked!" she pointed out in a mockery tone, a smirk on her face.

Rukia glared at her, distaste shown in her features.

Assuming a serious expression, the old woman retorted with harsh words: "Do not misunderstand me, girl. I did what I did for this family's sake and I do not regret it."

She passed by Rukia, moving away, but stopped briefly, and added dismissively:

"And even so, apparently that was not enough, according to what I've heard. You need to try harder if you want to be worthy of this family and your new position."

Rukia looked at her retreating back, her face flushed from both anger and embarrassment.

It seemed Fujiwara-sama had shared the earlier conversation with her, Rukia concluded, displeased. The fact that Michiko had implied she had been rejected bothered her greatly; even more so because… that was probably true. She didn't know his reasons, but that was certainly how she felt. He _had_ sent her away. Granted, that was completely according to their agreement, but it did not help much on how she felt.

'_You_ _need to try harder if you want to be worthy of this family and your new position_.'

The woman's last words echoed in her mind, as she took the other direction and continued her way to the dining room.

Rukia blushed slightly at the implication. That was not why they married, that was not what they had agreed...

'_Is that what you think my brother expected when he entrusted you with the leadership of this family?_' It was Fujiwara-sama's voice in her head this time. She knew she had put Byakuya in a difficult situation.

'What should I do?' she sighed, before entering the dining room.

*****

Byakuya was waiting for her there. Even if that was expected, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him and a hint of anxiety stirred in her chest.

"Good evening, Byakuya-sama," she bowed slightly and took her usual seat next to him, still feeling that odd stirring in her stomach that seemed to assault her whenever he was around.

"Good evening, Rukia," he replied calmly, looking at her.

Gosh, he had a beautiful voice, she couldn't help but notice. That part was definitely not product of the alcohol in the previous night.

All the thoughts swirling in her head would not help her act less nervous around him, so she tried her best to avoid them.

The servants had started to bring the dishes and she cursed their presence – there were so many things that she needed to discuss with him; but she couldn't very well do that with so many spectators. And she had a role to play.

"May I serve you, my Lord?" she asked offering a hand to receive his bowl, and he kindly nodded in acceptance.

They started to eat in silence as usual, and Rukia couldn't help but feel too aware of his presence, his strong reiatsu filling the room, even when concealed. She glanced briefly at him, admiring his beautiful, composed figure, but quickly averted her eyes and focused on her meal. After a few moments, he spoke:

"We have an appointment tomorrow."

She raised her eyes, waiting for him to continue it.

"Do you remember my cousin Atiko, who married into the Kasumiōji family? I am not sure if you are acquainted."

"I... remember I missed her marriage some years ago." It had been one of those social gatherings she had asked him to be spared of in the past.

He nodded and explained:

"She gave birth to her first son recently. They sent us an apology letter for not attending our wedding, since she was still in her impurity period."

"I see," she replied undisturbed, pretending she had understood everything he mentioned.

"Tomorrow their son will be presented at the shrine, though, and as my wife you are expected to accompany me."

That was probably him saying there would be no excuses this time.

"Of course," she returned to eating in silence as usual, but this time, Rukia noticed his eyes on her. She realized he had finished his meal and was waiting for her, so she stopped eating soon after - she wasn't feeling particularly hungry anyway.

Noticing it, he asked:

"Are you finished?"

"Yes," she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"Let's retire then," he ordered, his tone low and husky.

She simply nodded, hiding the nervousness in her voice, and waited for him to stand up. As soon as he did it, she followed him, always one step behind, towards 'their' bedroom.

The halls were empty and silent and each step she took tightened the little knot of tension in her heart.

*****

He entered the chamber first and waited for her. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, looking back at him expectantly.

The tension in the air could almost be cut with a knife.

"Have a seat," Byakuya offered, but except from his desk on the other side of the room Rukia knew there was only the futon nearby. She reluctantly sat in a corner of it and kept looking at him, remembering the previous night with conflicting feelings.

"I see you moved your things as I instructed you?" He asked unmoving, his eyes briefly examining the room around and then focusing back on her.

"Yes. We had to rearrange a few things. I hope you do not mind," she replied, her answer echoing in the quietness of the room.

'_Could this situation get any more awkward_?' She questioned herself. Rukia wondered if he felt as uneasy as she did, but his body language denoted nothing, as usual, and she envied him for a moment.

"Rukia, this is your bedroom from now on, so you should treat it as such."

She simply nodded in acknowledgement. That would take a little to get used to, like so many other things lately.

Without further ado, he started with the topic she feared, his tone devoid of any emotion:

"I apologize for the conversation you witnessed earlier."

She stared at the polished wooden floor, remembering Fujiwara's words that morning, and her moral dilemma in the past hours assaulted her mind for a second, but she focused on his words instead.

"Yesterday, I deemed appropriate to give you more time to adapt to your current situation, but I did not foresee the consequences of such an act. My apologies if it only further distressed you."

Rukia looked at him, flabbergasted - it was not common for him to admit mistakes so blatantly. She knew he was a very proud man, and worse, one that hardly made any mistakes. Even in this cold tone, she was glad for those words.

Her mind also registered that he had just justified his 'rejection' on the previous night with his concern for her.

Rukia sighed contently. So he had not exactly rejected her. He was still cold, and simply following their agreement, but even if it did not change anything between them, she still felt slightly better after hearing that. Reminded that an answer was expected, she replied:

"I was aware that it would be necessary for me to move here eventually," she pointed out shyly, and after a few seconds, she added in the same serious tone: "And I know Byakuya-sama only had the best intentions at heart, so I appreciate it."

*****

Byakuya felt slightly guilty at hearing those words. He had not lied, but he was glad that she had believed his half-truth. He couldn't possibly reveal his true reason for sending her back to her bedroom in the previous night.

"I am sorry as well," Byakuya heard her continuing in a more circumspect tone, not meeting his eyes. "I believe I put you in a difficult situation with this marriage ordeal." He saw a blush in her cheeks, but her eyes darkened with concern, as if she was struggling with a difficult decision. After a few seconds, she added slowly: "I am thankful for what you are doing, but… "

_But?_ He looked at her and frowned at what he saw - shoulders tense, her gaze on the ground. She continued, trying to grasp words:

"I mean, I know of your… duties… to the family, I… I understand if… I-I mean, I know that… it is also my dut--"

"Rukia," he interrupted her. He could not let her finish those words. "Do not let Fujiwara's speech compel you. The duty is mine to fulfill. What we discussed that night when your marriage was brought up is still valid."

She looked at him with a confused expression. He clarified:

"I understand that the conditions I proposed were the reason why you accepted my offer and I am not a man to go back on my word once given. You just need to behave as my wife for public eyes, and they will conclude after a while that you cannot bear my children. Then they will ask for the annulment of this marriage and you will be free."

There, he said it, her freedom pass. Did it have to be this hard?

*****

Rukia looked at him, perplexed. So this was his plan. An annulment.

She would be free. Free. For some reason the word had lost its meaning – she no longer wished for it so much as she had before. Instead, it brought a weight to her heart.

It was clear that he saw this as her wish still. But was it really? Maybe some days ago, yes, but now, if she were honest to herself, she was actually rather… disappointed. And a little sad.

"And you?" She asked, not entirely sure of what she meant with that question.

"I will fulfill my duty to the clan and marry again," Byakuya declared with detachment.

He would… marry again?

Rukia felt struck by those words. They made absolute sense, and yet… she felt completely repulsed by them. He was clearly not happy with this arrange, but she doubted he would ever be happy about any other woman that was not her sister. She, however… she was undeniably jealous at the thought of another by his side. In _her_ place.

_Jealousy._ That was preposterous, ridiculous. But in truth, this plan of his bothered her. She wanted him to be happy, and she wanted to be happy as well, and maybe… maybe she was really falling for him. As frightening and crazy as it was.

"You will have to endure this for a while, though. Unfortunately it could not be avoided, and for that I apologize," he concluded in his most noble tone, causing a distinct feeling of melting in her heart.

"Byakuya-sama," she said, looking deeply, meaningfully into his dark grey eyes. "I am not my sister. I never asked for your protection. I really appreciate all you did for me, but you do not owe me an apology."

Byakuya had his eyes fixed on her, and under his cold cover she could distinguish surprise in them. It brought her an undeniable feeling of satisfaction. Concluding their conversation had ended, she added:

"Now if you'll excuse me," she bowed and went to gather some nightclothes, heading to the bathroom.

She had to be going insane, she thought, a towel in her hands and a smile on her face, leaving a very puzzled Byakuya behind.

*****

Rukia was seating on the futon, waiting for him to leave the bathroom. All the confidence she had felt some minutes ago was slowly vanishing and she was reminded of the night before, when she stood there in the same fashion, waiting for him. This time, however, she would really stay. They would really share a bed. She, and her ex-brother, current husband, the epitome of perfection, the cold Kuchiki Byakuya. The absurdity, the awkwardness of it was getting to her again.

Even if she had spent the afternoon there, moving her things, the bedroom was still undeniably his – everything about it reminded her of him: the sparse and expensive furniture, the paintings… she could even feel a pleasant and faint musky scent that, now she knew, belonged to him.

It was one thing to be there with Mieko, but… it was another to be there, alone, with him. She had never shared a bed with a man. Well, she had slept next to Renji on those cold nights of her childhood, but this was completely different. Her confusing feelings towards him were definitely not helping on the matter, and she decided to avoid those thoughts for the sake of her sanity.

She wasn't prepared for the image she saw when he emerged from the bathroom moments later and much casually moved towards the bed where she sat. She stood up immediately, an automatic response to his presence, and gaped at him, a look of pure astonishment on her face, as her eyes traveled through his figure.

No scarf, no hand guards, and plain night robes instead of the formal kimono he wore at home or his usual captain's haori. He had discarded his kenseikan and his beautiful hair fell freely around his shoulders. Her heart skipped a beat at that handsome and foreign vision. He almost looked... human. Except for the drop-dead gorgeous part. It was like looking at another person, though. Instead of the pristine, immaculate image of Kuchiki Byakuya, a real man of flesh and bone. Who would have guessed? Certainly not her, despite the obviousness of it.

He must have taken her surprise for consternation, as he hurried to say:

"There is no need for fear, Rukia. Please try to rest." He spoke in a soothing tone, clearly unfazed by her reluctance.

She noticed she was still standing and staring at him and flushed at her silly reaction. The redness in her cheeks intensified as she approached and joined him on the bed in silence. Her heart was beating hastily and she disguised her reactions and tried to act as naturally as she could.

Rukia exhaled a soundless sigh, trying to relax as she laid her head on the pillow, pulling the covers over her. How was she supposed to sleep, when her body was tingling entirely, remarkably aware of his presence so close to her?

She should turn to the other side and ignore it, she knew, but curiosity got the best of her, as she was still very much intrigued by his apparent humanity, so she turned slightly to his side instead and closed her eyes, hoping to peek briefly at him once again.

She waited for a few moments, pretending to sleep, then opened her eyes briefly, but was startled by an unexpected sight: piercing grey eyes were staring intently at her.

As soon as their gazes met, he broke contact and turned to the other side, saying:

"Good night, Rukia," and the light went off.

"Good night", she answered breathlessly in the dark.

*****

He looked at her sleeping form, now partially hidden in the darkness of the room, but still fresh in his mind.

They looked even more similar in the dark. It felt weird to have again a woman on his bed after so many years. And yet, one with those same features. The short dark hair that would probably feel smooth in his hand, the fair skin that would smell fragrantly sweet, the delicate lips that would feel so soft…

But this was not Hisana, as she had well stated not long ago. No, Hisana would not look at him in the eye and tell him she did not need his protection. Not that it was true for either of them. Rukia did need his protection, whether she thought so or not. But what had she meant by those words?

He smiled briefly at her petite form, occupying his bed, entering his life. Even if for a while, it felt good to have her by his side, under his eyes. It was as if her mere presence filled a void that had now nearly become a part of him. A peaceful, soothing feeling. It was also comforting to have her around – it felt easier to protect her from this close.

Even if it meant doing so from himself as well.

*****

Faint sunlight passed through the gaps of the window as Rukia woke up the next morning and looked dazedly around.

Right, she was in _his_ bedroom. The place next to her was glaringly empty, but she quickly noticed what had brought her from her sleep: he had just come out of the bathroom. To her dismay, he was already completely dressed, the impeccable image of the noble captain of the Sixth Division again: captain's haori over his shinigami uniform, hand guards, scarf, kenseikan properly placed in his hair.

"Good morning," he greeted her in his usual serious tone.

"Eh... Good morning" she answered, going into a sitting position and pulling the covers with her.

"I expect you to be ready at seven when I get home," he informed her.

Rukia blinked at those words, then remembered – shrine, cousin, new-born… right.

"Yes," she simply answered.

"You can stay longer in bed if you so want. It is early still," he offered.

She was indeed feeling sleepy, so she simply nodded. Did he usually sleep so little? Those words reminded her she did not need to go to her division that day or anytime soon, and therefore, had nothing better to do with her time. The thought was unnerving, but she decided she would deal with it after another hour of sleep at least…

*****

The day had indeed been boring as she predicted. Rukia had thought about going to her division countless times, but had decided against it for many reasons. The whole marriage to her brother was still a source of gossip, she was sure, and her presence would certainly raise questions. Her captain would probably refuse going against Byakuya's orders for her, not to mention the problem it would cause with the elders and Byakuya himself, if she were to disobey a direct command.

Therefore, she sulked the whole day, bothered that her life had been reduced to that of a trophy-wife. While choosing the appropriate kimono for the occasion in a still very sullen mood, she came to a decision.

She would try to convince him, she _had_ to, otherwise she would go crazy with boredom. She would try her best.

The thought solely brightened her mood and she called Mieko for help. She would be the impeccable image of the Kuchiki Lady when Byakuya arrived.

*****

Later that evening, Rukia was perfectly dressed in a gorgeous green kimono of flowery details in purple and gold. A beautiful and glittery purple kanzashi in the format of a flower adorned her hair, properly done in a bun.

As soon as Byakuya entered their bedroom surprise flickered in his eyes. Quickly disguised of course, but Rukia didn't miss it. Good. She heard him saying:

"Please expect me at the dining room, I will meet you shortly."

She nodded and left the room.

After a brief meal, they departed for the shrine. It was going to be on the Kasumiōji's family shrine, from what she understood. She was slightly nervous to go on a social event so soon, but somehow his presence by her side calmed her feelings.

As they arrived, Byakuya offered his hand for her to help her out of the wagon and she was glad to have chosen a warm kimono as the cold air of the night hit her face, contrasting with the warmness of his hand. There was a big and beautiful full moon in the sky that night.

The couple elegantly entered the temple and was greeted by many faces that Rukia not quite recognized. She was sure she had met the majority of them on her wedding two nights ago, though, so she summoned her best Kuchiki façade and greeted them all respectfully and distantly as expected, praying she wouldn't do anything wrong.

It didn't take long until the ceremony started and she saw Michiko-dono entering the temple with a baby on her arms. She frowned slightly at the image and Byakuya must have noticed it, for he commented:

"The paternal grandmother is deceased, so the child is taken by the other grandmother."

Rukia blinked at his remark. It was not usual for him to be in such a conversational mood. He was probably bored, she concluded, grinning to herself in amusement.

So Atiko was Michiko's daughter. Maybe that was what the elder had wanted to speak to Rukia about before their slight… disagreement in the previous night. She decided she wouldn't tell Byakuya about it unless necessary.

Rukia peeked inside the baby's cover on Michiko's arms and noticed it was not, in fact, a son, but a cute blonde baby girl. Byakuya had probably been misinformed about it.

She wondered how frequent it was for him to attend this kind of social event. He was probably a busy man, with his duties as a captain, his training as a shinigami and his appointments as leader of the Kuchiki clan to fulfill. That was probably why he was never at home.

It seemed like a boring life, and she wondered for how long it had been like that.

"I assume Byakuya-sama witnessed many of these ceremonies?" she tried to start a conversation, encouraged by his willingness to talk.

It was not a wasted attempt.

"I have attended these since my parents died. My grandfather demanded my presence whenever he was representing the family. He made sure I was prepared to shoulder the duties of my station in every way."

"You were a child still, right?" she asked carefully about his parent passing. He simply nodded briefly.

Yeah, it seemed like a boring, duty-filled life indeed. Rukia knew Byakuya had assumed the head of the clan after his grandfather's death and how the man was an important figure in his life, especially without his parents. She imagined a young Byakuya, bored as hell with these social events, learning to be an image instead of a man, and working hard to impress his grandfather as a shinigami, and felt bad for him.

Even in this rich environment, so unlike her past, his childhood did not seem to have been a rose garden.

The ceremony was brief and soon they moved to a small reception. Rukia saw Michiko and the baby in a gathered circle, sided by her daughter and her son-in-law, who seemed very happy. Atiko had dark hair but seemed to have inherited Michiko-dono's features and light blue eyes that matched her kimono that night. Her husband had a kind face and was as blond as his little girl.

Byakuya started towards them and Rukia followed him, hoping the elder would not bring up their discussion in the previous night.

"Congratulations," he offered to the trio, and she imitated him. "I am sure the Kasumiōji clan is delighted with their princess," he added, looking at the baby with a kind face.

"Yes, we are," the father answered, proud.

"Now you two should be the next to have this happiness, we hope," Atiko commented cheerfully.

Rukia was hoping the subject would not be brought up, but, tough luck, Michiko-dono had not forgotten it:

"Yes, Rukia-dono, when do you plan to give my granddaughter some cousins to play with?" she added in a playful, yet malicious way.

Rukia felt a familiar burning sensation in her cheek and tried to control it.

"Uh, hopefully soon," she answered, embarrassedly. "Hopefully soon," she repeated in a more steady voice, trying to smile at them without meeting their eyes.

Byakuya noted her discomfort and commented:

"Well, congratulations again. We will leave you to share the happiness with the other guests," he added and gracefully bowed slightly, waiting for Rukia to do the same.

She did so and took the arm he offered her. After a few steps, she whispered:

"Thank you."

Rukia saw him nodding by her side.

"Would you care for some refreshments?" he asked. She knew he was only offering a change on the subject but agreed nonetheless.

Rukia served herself, but the subject was still on her mind, so after some minutes she asked him thoughtfully:

"Do you want them? Children?"

She noticed his eyes on her, showing a hint of surprise. She quickly realized by his reluctance that her question could be understood like an offering, so she amended hastily:

"I-I mean, in your previous marriage, did you…?" she corrected, blushing a little.

His features relaxed slightly.

"Yes, I wanted them," he answered, pensive. "But your sister was not very healthy. Hisana had two miscarriages," he revealed, and Rukia thought she heard a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Rukia felt sad for him, imagining the family he could have by now. She would be the aunt of his kids, if that had happened. Imagine the turns Fate takes sometimes…

Suddenly a thought occured to her. If Hisana had problems, would that mean she would have too? She immediately realized where his plan had come from. It would be easy for the elders to believe she had the same problem. Had they asked for an annulment in the past?

Lost in thoughts that she wouldn't dare to share, she didn't notice the presence of Yasumoto, approaching them.

"Good evening, Byakuya-sama, Rukia-dono."

The couple greeted him back.

"Byakuya-sama, I need to speak with you. About the Central 46 meeting tomorrow," the elder said in a whispered tone. They were far away from the crowd, so no one would be able to hear it either way.

The elder turned to Rukia.

"Rukia-dono, would you excuse us for a moment? This subject is classified."

Byakuya looked at his uncle, then nodded at her.

"Yes, of course, excuse me. I will be outside," she informed, still curious about the topic. She didn't know much about Soul Society ruling so she slowed her pace in hopes she could hear something.

"_Regarding our influence…" _was all she could figure out from Yasumoto whispered voice before she was too far away, heading for the balcony. Rukia got closer to one of the beverage tables and got a cup of what she assumed was sake – her empty hands felt slightly uncomfortable at that moment – and headed outside.

The balcony was high and she could see a beautiful garden and the empty streets of Seireitei not far away. The full moon was bright and shiny in the starred sky - it was a beautiful view.

She was feeling cold, however, and her thoughts drifted to the cup on her hands. She smelled the liquid, and decided to taste a little of it. She almost spilled it all as she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Rukia-dono."

She looked back and blinked at the chest of a tall young man, very close to her. Raising her eyes, she met dark grey ones – very much like Byakuya's - looking intently at her. However, as their eyes met he smiled, a kind yet playful smirk that she sure would hardly be found on her husband's features.

"How have you been this evening?" She heard him saying in a pleasant tone.

"Eisei-dono," she acknowledged, giving a step back, while still looking at the blond man in surprise. Her mind noted he had made her a question.

"I am doing very well, thank you. How about yourself?" she asked back politely.

"Very well indeed. It is nice to meet you in here," he answered, eyeing her, and soon added: "And it seems you liked my gift, I am pleased."

Rukia followed his gaze on her hair and remembered, blushing slightly, that she was indeed using- unintentionally - the kanzashi he had given her some time ago.

"It suits you very well," he observed.

"Thank you," she replied, feeling a little calmer, even if still embarrassed.

Eisei moved forward, stopping by her side on the balcony and contemplating the view she was enjoying before his arrival.

"A beautiful night, isn't it?" He asked, not looking at her.

"Yes," she agreed, following his gaze, and then looking back at the man, who had put some distance between them, making her more at ease**. **He was a handsome man, even if his presence unfazed her for some reason, and the fine-tailored clothes he was wearing only served in accentuating his charm. Rukia wondered where her reluctance towards him had come from. In truth, he had only tried to be nice to her since they were properly introduced. Maybe they had just started it wrong, she concluded, feeling slightly guilty.

"It was a beautiful ceremony too. I am sure Atiko and Keiji are very happy to finally have their first heir," he commented, still looking at the garden.

"They seem very happy indeed," she agreed simply.

"It is worrisome for a clan to not have an heir for so long," he added seriously. After a few seconds he looked back at her, and she suddenly felt a pinprick of awareness under his scrutiny – Rukia could almost swear there was something predatory in his gaze, but quickly dismissed the thought, looking back at the garden.

She spotted a beautiful girl walking in their direction. Her hair was of a very light blonde, and even though Rukia was sure they never met, the girl reminded her of one of the guests in the _omiai_ they had promoted not long ago. The girl clearly had noticed them as well, and as she got closer she smiled and bowed slightly before heading to the door under their balcony.

"That was Hoshiko-dono. Atiko's sister-in-law," he offered, adding afterwards, "We were engaged about two years ago."

Despite her common sense, curiosity got the best of her and Rukia asked:

"What happened?"

He seemed glad with her question as he replied:

"I decided to break it up. She is the youngest child, third in succession, and the family decided it was not an advantageous marriage."

"I see," she added reluctantly. It was always about that, Rukia considered, thinking about the complicated noble life. It seemed to be like that for all noble families.

"Besides, to be honest, I hate blondes," he confessed in a playful tone, moving away from the edge of the balcony. "I am much more fond of brunettes instead," he added, with a mischievous smile, his eyes meeting hers for a very brief moment, and quickly moving away. Rukia gaped at him speechless. He bowed and turned to leave. "Have a pleasant night, Rukia-dono."

Rukia watched his retreating figure and noticed he crossed Byakuya in his path, who gave his cousin a less-than-friendly stare and then continued in her direction.

"We are leaving," he informed her in a cold tone. Rukia simply nodded and followed him.

*****

Rukia looked at Byakuya and back at the images passing outside the wagon's window. His conversational disposition seemed to be gone, she could almost tell he was in a surly mood. That was very unfortunate, since she still needed to make an important request of him that night.

..

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* * *

And that's it for now, dears. Uff, fourteen pages, I think I deserve some reviews, right? lol

Take care!

Wynn


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